In 1817, the territory now comprising Thane district was taken over by the British from the Peshwa and it became a part of North Konkan district, with its headquarters in Thana. Since then, it has undergone considerable changes in its boundaries. In 1830, the North Konkan district was expanded by adding parts of South Konkan district and in 1833 was renamed Thana District. In 1853, the three sub-divisions of Pen, Roha and Mahad together with Underi and Revadanda agencies of Kolaba were formed into the sub-collectorate of Kolaba, under Thana, and ultimately were separated to become an independent Kolaba district in 1869 (now known as Raigad district).

Back in 1866, the administrative sub-divisions of Thana were reorganised and renamed: Sanjan as Dahanu, Kolvan as Shahapur and Nasrapur as Karjat. Vada petha was upgraded to the level of a taluka. Uran Mahal was separated from Salsette in 1861 and was placed under Panvel. Panvel, together with its mahals of Uran and Karanja, was transferred to Kolaba district in 1883 and Karjat was transferred in 1891. A new mahal with Bandra as headquarters was created in 1917 and in 1920 Salsette was divided into two talukas — North Salsette and South Salsette. South Salsette consisting of 84 villages was separated from Thana District and included in the newly created Bombay Suburban district (present Mumbai Suburban district). North Salsette was made a mahal under Kalyan taluka in 1923 and renamed as Thana in 1926. Kelve-Mahim was renamed as Palghar. 33 villages of the Bombay Suburban district were transferred to Thana district in 1945 and 14 of them were re-transferred to the Bombay Suburban district in 1946 when the Aarey Milk Colony was constituted.

After Independence, in 1949, the princely state of Jawhar was merged with Thana district and became a separate taluka. As many as twenty-seven villages and eight towns from Borivali taluka and one town and one village from Thana taluka were transferred to the Bombay Suburban district in 1956 when the limits of Greater Bombay were extended northwards in Salsette. In 1960, following the bifurcation of the bilingual Bombay State, 47 villages, and three towns in the taluka of Umbargaon were transferred to Surat district in Gujarat and its remaining twenty-seven villages were first included in Dahanu and later in 1961 made into a separate mahal, Talasari. In 1969, the taluka of Kalyan was divided into two talukas, Kalyan and Ulhasnagar.[2]

The district is the northernmost part of the Konkan lowlands of Maharashtra. It comprises the wide amphitheatre like Ulhas basin on the south and hilly Vaitama valley on the north together with plateaus and the slopes of Sahyadri. From the steep slopes of the Sahyadri in the east, the land falls through a succession of plateaus in the north and centre of the district to the Ulhas valley in the south. These lowlands are separated from the coast by a fairly well-defined narrow ridge of hills that runs north-south to the east of the Thane creek, parallel to the sea, keeping a distance of about 6 to 10 km from the shores. Isolated hills and spurs dot the district area.[3]

The two main rivers flowing through the district are the Ulhas and the Vaitarna. The Ulhas originates from the north of Tungarli near Lonavala, flows for a short distance before descending near Bor ghat, and meets the sea at Vasai Creek. The Ulhas River is 135 km long. The river has many tributaries; the two most important of them (within the boundaries of this district) are the Barvi and the Bhatsa. The Vaitarna, the largest of the Konkan rivers, rises in the Tryambak Hills in Nashik district, opposite to the source of the Godavari. The river flows across Shahapur, Vada and Palghar talukas and enter the Arabian Sea through a wide estuary off Arnala. The Vaitarna River is 154 km long and has a drainage area that practically covers the entire northern part of the district. It has a number of tributaries; the most important of them are the Pinjal, Surya, Daherja and Tansa.

Many small creeks are found all along the western coast, in which tidal waters flood upstream and fill up much low ground. In many cases human interference has helped in converting them into mud flats. The bigger creeks are Bhiwandi, Chinchani, and Dahanu Creeks. The Thane Creek is not a creek in the true sense, but a depression engulfed by the sea.

The northern part of the Salsette Island is part of Thane District, which is separated from the mainland by the Ulhas estuary and the Thane Creek but is connected through reclaimed land with the island city of Mumbai. Arnala Island is located in Vasai taluka, at the entrance to the Vaitarna estuary.

The district has no natural lakes. Artificial lakes have been constructed mainly to supply drinking water to Mumbai. The Tansa Lake formed across the Tansa River in the hills north of Bhiwandi behind the dam completed in 1892 CE. The Modak Sagar (Lower Vaitarna) Lake on the river Vaitarna formed behind a dam completed in 1957 CE. In the upper reaches of the same river, the Upper Vaitarana Lake formed behind another dam built in 1972 CE. The Bhatsa Lake has been formed in the upper Bhatsa, north of Shahapur behind a dam built in 1981 CE.[4]

Several hot springs are in the Vasai Taluka in the bed of the Tansa River. They are near Akloli, Ganeshpuri and Vajreshwari villages. There are some more examples: Kokner (Maswan tal-Palghar) and Sativali (Saphale tal:-Palghar). The water temperatures are in the range of 42°-55 °C.[3]

There are two distinct climates in the district, one on the western coastal plains and the other on the eastern slopes of Sahyadri. The climate on the western coastal plains of Thane, Vasai, Palghar and Dahanu talukas is tropical, very humid and warm. The climate on the plains at the foot of the slopes (Kalyan, Bhiwandi, Vada, Ulhasnagar, Ambarnath and Talasari talukas) and on the eastern slopes of Sahyadri (Murbad, Shahapur, Jawhar, Vikramgad and Mokhada talukas) is comparatively less humid. The temperature variation is more in the eastern part of the district comparing to the western coastal areas.

The district has four seasons. Winter is from December to February, followed by summer from March to June. The southwest monsoon season is from June to September. October and November months constitute the post-monsoon season, which is hot and humid in the coastal areas.

In the coastal area, the average daily maximum temperature in summer is 32.9 °C (maximum recorded at Dahanu is 40.6 °C on 19 April 1955) and in winter average mean daily minimum temperature is 16.8 °C (minimum recorded at Dahanu is 8.3 °C on 8 January 1945). But in the interior parts of the district, the average daily minimum temperature is slightly lower in the winter season and the average daily maximum temperature is higher in the summer.

The average annual rainfall in the district is 2293.4 mm. The rainfall in the district increases from the coastal areas to the interior. The rainfall varies from 1730.5 mm at Mahim on the coast to 2588.7 mm at Shahapur in the interior. The rainfall during the southwest monsoon season, June to September, constitutes about 94% of the annual rainfall. July is the wettest month with a rainfall of about 40% of the annual total. The variation in the annual rainfall from year to year in the district is not large. The highest rainfall recorded in 24 hours at any station in the district was 481.1 mm at Dahanu on 1 September 1958 CE.[5]

In June 2014, the State Cabinet approved the bifurcation of the district into two districts - Thane and Palghar. The new Palghar district comprises the seven talukas which it had been proposed to comprise in the putative Jawhar District, with the addition of Vasai taluka. The effective date for bifurcation was 1 August 2014.[8]

It had a population of 8,131,849 of which 72.58% were urban as of 2001.[11] Total literacy rate of the district is 80.67% (male 87.06% and female 73.10%). The population of Thane district in 2011 had risen to 11,054,131; this is close to 10 percent ( 9.84 ) of Maharashtra’s estimated population of 112.4 million and 1% of India’s Total population.[12] It was the most populated district in the country, somewhat ahead of North 24 Parganas district in West Bengal which had 10,082,852 people.[13] The density of population was estimated at 1,157 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio i.e. number of females per 1000 male was 880 which is less than the states average of 925 and the national average of 940.[14] The creation of the new Palghar district from the northern and western talukas has now reduced the population of Thane District to some 8,070,032 inhabitants as at the 2011 Census.

The southern talukas are the mostly urban areas, Marathi is main language and also due to migration many other languages like Urdu, Sindhi, Gujarati and Hindi are spoken. Marathi is the main language and is only language in the rural talukas.

Western coastal region is mostly populated by Kolis, the northern and the eastern talukas are populated by the Varlis, known for making stark images from red mud on house walls.

According to the 2001 Census, the total working population in the district was 11,961,704 persons, which is 47.37% of the total population of the district. Out of total working force, 51.75% were engaged in agriculture and allied activities, 6.19% in manufacturing, service and cottage industries and remaining 30.69% in other activities. Out of total working force, the female working force was 22.89% in the district.[15]

The important kharif crops of the district are rice, vari and nachani (finger millet). The pulses like Urad, moong and kulith are also grown in this season. Rice is the main crop of the district. Rice is grown in all the talukas of the district but mainly in Palghar, Bhiwandi, Murbad, Shahapur, Vada, Vikramgad and Dahanu. Vari and nachani are grown in the hilly areas of the eastern part of the district, namely Jawhar, Murbad, Vikramgad, Shahapur and Mokhada talukas. Wal, chavali and gram are the main rabi crops grown in this district. Dahanu taluka is famous for fruits. Chikoos (sapotas) are grown on a large scale at Gholwad. Chikoo orchards are also found in Palghar and Talasari talukas. Chikoos grown in these areas are sent all over India. Other fruits grown in the district are guavas, mangoes, papayas, grapefruits and coconuts. Vasai and Palghar talukas are famous for different varieties of bananas such as rajeli, tambeli, mutheli and velchi. Seasonal fruits grown in the district such as bor, wild berries and litchis have great demands in the markets of Mumbai. Vegetables are also grown in the district. Among the vegetables, eggplants are grown on a large scale. There are rose gardens at Dahanu.[16]

Thane is the third most industrialised district in the State. There are 1548 large and medium scale and 18,480 small scale industries in the district. The main products of these industries are Drugs, Textiles, Adhesives, Plastics, Rubber, Steel, Pharmaceuticals, Engineering, Fertilizers, Electronics, Chemicals and Iron & Steel. The Thane-Belapur-Kalyan industrial belt is the centre of highly sophisticated modern industries. In Ulhasnagar, Ambarnath, Bhiwandi, Badlapur, Tarapur, Palghar, Vasai and Murbad there are nearly 4000 industries which contributes towards the industrialisation of the district. Manufacture of machinery, machine tools and parts except electrical machinery together with the iron and steel industry and metal products are the most important and the biggest group of industries in the district and includes manufacture of Prime movers, Boilers, Refrigerators, Machine Tools, Computing and Accounting machinery, Industrial machinery for food and textile industries, machinery for chemicals, paper and cement industries. Manufacture of basic industrial chemicals including fertilizers, vegetable and animal oils and fats, paints, varnishes and lacquers and other miscellaneous chemical products is another important industry in the district. These industries are mainly concentrated in the Trans-Thane Creek and Belapur Road industrial area. The medium and large industries manufacturing chemicals and chemical products are Pfizer, Lubrizol India Ltd., Polyolefins Industries Ltd., NOCIL, Herdillia Chemicals Ltd., BASF (India) Ltd., Star Chemicals, INDOFIL INDUSTRIES LIMITED, and Phoenix Chemical Works. The chemical industries are also found in other parts of the district like Wagle Industrial Estate, Pokhran Road, Ambarnath and Dombivli. The cotton and non-cotton power looms are mainly located at Bhiwandi, Thane and Kalyan. Traditionally, Bhiwandi is famous for its handlooms. But the deteriorating markets for the handlooms compelled the weavers to replace their handlooms by powerlooms. Fisheries constitute an important industry in Thane district. It is carried out in sea as well as in creeks and estuaries on the western coast. Marine fishery predominates over inland fishery in the district and provides employment to about 75% of the persons engaged in the fishing industry. Fishing in sea is carried out along the coast stretching over about 110 km. The important fishing centres in the district are Dahanu, Pokharan-Uchheli, Nawapur, Murabe, Satpute, Datiware, Arnala, Vasai and Uran. Food processing industries like grain mill products, Bakery products, Cocoa, Chocolate and Sugar Confectionery, Salt, ice, slaughtering, preparation and preservation of meat, dairy products, canning and preservation of fruits and vegetables, canning, preserving and processing of fish are developed in the district. Raptakos, Brett and Co., Pfizer Ltd., Cadbury Fry (India) Ltd. which produce modified milk food and high protein food are some of the large and medium companies in the district. Wood products like plywood and veneer, wooden boxes, barrels, bamboo, cane baskets, bobbins, industrial fixtures, cork & cork products are also manufactured in the district. The Tarapur Atomic Power Station which has ushered an era of utilisation of nuclear energy for electricity generation is also situated in the district. The finance is being provided by various public sector and private sector Banks and Financial Institutions in the district. Bank of Maharashtra is one of the leading Public Sector Banks of the district, having 60 branches (2000 CE).[15]

The total railway track length in the district is 345.73 km. spread in western and central part of the district. The Western Railway network passes through Vasai, Palghar and Dahanu talukas of the district and Central railway network passes through Thane, Kalyan, Ulhasnagar and Shahapur talukas of the district. Western Railway local trains leaving from Churchgate railway station go up to Dahanu Road railway station in the district. Central Railway local trains leaving from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus go up to Kalyan, Ulhasnagar, Ambarnath, Badlapur, Karjat and Kasara. In 1994, a new connection made from Diva Junction to Vasai. This connection joined Central Railway and Western Railway networks and its length is 41.96 km.[15]Konkan Railway network also passes through a part of the district. Local trains have now started plying from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai to Panvel on this network. Dahanu, Satpati, Mahim. Kalyan, Vasai, and Uttan are the ports on the Arabian Sea coast. Ferry services are available between these ports. Metered Auto Rickshaws ply in Thane, Mira-Bhyander and several other towns. Metered Taxi services are also available in Thane, Mira-Bhayandar and some other towns.

1.
Thane
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Thane is a metropolitan city in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Thane City is part of Thane District and is the neighbour of the city of Mumbai. Thane City lies in the co-ordinates 19. 2183° N,72. 9781° E, the name Thane, locally pronounced, has been variously romanised as Tana, Thana, Thâṇâ, and Thane. Ibn Battuta and Abulfeda knew it as Kukin Tana, Duarte Barbosa as Tana Mayambu, a copper plate dating to AD1078 was discovered near the foundations of Thane Fort in 1787. A land grant from Arikesara Devaraja, lord of Tagara, he addresses the inhabitants of a city called Sri Sthanaka, in the 14th century, Thane was a major port under a Muslim governor which was celebrated for its production of a cloth known as Tanasi. It was also visited during the period by Jordanus, Odoric of Pordenone, Ibn Battuta, the British occupied Salsette Island, Thana Fort, Fort Versova, and the island fort of Karanja in 1774. Thane was the terminus for the first ever passenger train in Asia, on 16 April 1853, the passenger train service was inaugurated between Colaba and Thane. Covering a distance of 34 km, it was hauled by three locomotives, Sahib, Sindh and Sultan, Thane is connected with neighbouring suburbs through Central and Trans-Harbour Line Suburban railway network. Thane is a junction for the Thane-Vashi Harbour Line and Central Line. It has become the busiest station in Mumbai and one of the busiest in India, as of 2013, there are plans of extending the Ghatkopar-Mulund Metro line up to Thane. On 26 August 2015, MMRDA sanctions ₹35,400 crores for 118 km Mumbai metro network and this includes a 40-km Wadala-Ghatkopar-Thane-Kasarvadavali Metro-4 corridor via Wadala GPO and R. A. Kidwai Marg costing ₹12,000 crore. Thane has a monsoon climate that borders on a tropical wet. Overall climate is equable with high rainfall days and very few days of extreme temperatures, in Thane, temperature varies from 22 °C to 36 °C. Winter temperatures can fall to 12 °C at night while summer temperatures can rise to over 40 °C at noon, the lowest day time temperatures are witnessed during the peak of summer monsoon in July and August when temperatures can drop to about 25 °C. Out of total rainfall, 80% rainfall is experienced during June to October, average annual rainfall is 2000–2500 mm and humidity is 61-86%, making it a humid-perhumid zone. The population of Thane according to the 2011 census is 1,886,941, average literacy rate of Thane city is 91.36 percent of which male and female literacy was 94.19 and 88.14 percent. The sex ratio of Thane city is 882 per 1000 males, child sex ratio of girls is 900 per 1000 boys. Total children in Thane city are 186,259 as per Census India report on 2011, there were 98,017 boys while 88,242 are girls

2.
District
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A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by local government. Across the world, areas known as districts vary greatly in size, spanning entire regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions of municipalities, school district, in Afghanistan, a district is a subdivision of a province. There are almost 400 districts in the country, electoral districts are used in state elections. Districts were also used in several states as cadastral units for land titles, some were used as squatting districts. New South Wales had several different types of districts used in the 21st century, in Austria, a district is an administrative division normally encompassing several municipalities, roughly equivalent to the Landkreis in Germany. The administrative office of a district, the Bezirkshauptmannschaft, is headed by a Bezirkshauptmann, while there are matters of administrative law the municipalities themselves are in charge of, or where there are special bodies, the district is the basic unit of general administration in Austria. Officials on the level are not elected, but appointed by the state government. There are also independent cities in Austria and they are called Statutarstadt in Austrian administrative law. These urban districts do have the same tasks as a normal district, the State of Vienna, which is at the same time a municipality, is also subdivided in twenty-three districts, which, however, have a somewhat different function than in the rest of the country. Legally, the Magistratisches Bezirksamt is an office of the municipalitys administration. However, representatives on the level are elected, and they in turn elect the head of the district. Those representative bodies are supposed to serve as immediate contacts for the locals on the political, in practice, they have some power, e. g. concerning matters of traffic. Bangladeshi districts are administrative units. In all, there are 64 districts in Bangladesh, originally, there were 21 greater districts with several subdivisions in each district. In 1984, the government made all these subdivisions into districts, each district has several sub districts called Upazila in Bengali. In Belgian municipalities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, on initiative of the local council, as such, only Antwerp, having over 460,000 inhabitants, became subdivided into nine districts. The Belgian arrondissements, a level between province and municipality, or the lowest judicial level, are in English sometimes called districts as well. Bhutanese districts are administrative units consisting of village blocks called gewog

3.
Maharashtra
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Maharashtra is a state in the western region of India and is Indias second-most populous state and third-largest state by area. It is the wealthiest Indian state and it is also the worlds second-most populous sub-national entity. It has over 112 million inhabitants and its capital, Mumbai, has a population of approximately 18 million, Nagpur is Maharashtras second capital as well as its winter capital. Maharashtras business opportunities along with its potential to offer a standard of living attract migrants from all over India. Ancient and medieval Maharashtra included the empires of the Satavahana dynasty, Rashtrakuta dynasty, Western Chalukyas, Mughals, the major rivers of the state are Godavari, and Krishna. The Narmada and Tapti Rivers flow near the border between Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, Maharashtra is the second most urbanised state in India. The state has several popular Hindu places of pilgrimage including Pandharpur, Dehu and Alandi, other places that attract pilgrims from other parts of India and beyond include Hazur Sahib Gurudwara at Nanded, Sai Baba shrine at Shirdi and Dikshabhumi at Nagpur. Maharashtra is the wealthiest and one of the most developed states in India, as of 2011, the state had a per capita income of ₹1.0035 lakh, more than the national average of ₹0.73 lakh. Its GDP per capita crossed the ₹1.20 lakh threshold for the first time in 2013, however, as of 2014, the GDP per capita reduced to ₹1.03 lakh Agriculture and industries are the largest parts of the states economy. Major industries include chemical products, electrical and non-electrical machinery, textiles, petroleum, Jai Maharashtra The modern Marathi language developed from the Maharashtri Prakrit, and the word Mahratta is found in the Jain Maharashtri literature. The terms Maharashtra, Maharashtri, Marathi and Maratha may have derived from the same root, however, their exact etymology is uncertain. But the Marathas as a people do not seem to be mentioned before the thirteenth or fourteenth century, the most widely accepted theory among the linguistic scholars is that the words Maratha and Maharashtra ultimately derived from a combination of Maha and rashtrika. The word rashtrika is a Sanskritized form of Ratta, the name of a tribe or dynasty of petty chiefs ruling in the Deccan region. Another theory is that the term is derived from Maha and ratha / rathi, an alternative theory states that the term derives from the word Maha and Rashtra. However, this theory has not found acceptance among scholars who believe it to be the Sanskritised interpretation of later writers. Maharashtra was ruled by the Maurya Empire in the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE, around 230 BCE Maharashtra came under the rule of the Satavahana dynasty for 400 years. The greatest ruler of the Satavahana Dynasty was Gautamiputra Satakarni, in 90 CE Vedishri, son of the Satavahana king Satakarni, the Lord of Dakshinapatha, wielder of the unchecked wheel of Sovereignty, made Junnar, thirty miles north of Pune, the capital of his kingdom. The state was ruled by Western Satraps, Gupta Empire, Gurjara-Pratihara, Vakataka, Kadambas, Chalukya Empire, Rashtrakuta Dynasty, and Western Chalukya before finally

4.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation

5.
India
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India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and it is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast. It shares land borders with Pakistan to the west, China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast, in the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Indias Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a border with Thailand. The Indian subcontinent was home to the urban Indus Valley Civilisation of the 3rd millennium BCE, in the following millennium, the oldest scriptures associated with Hinduism began to be composed. Social stratification, based on caste, emerged in the first millennium BCE, early political consolidations took place under the Maurya and Gupta empires, the later peninsular Middle Kingdoms influenced cultures as far as southeast Asia. In the medieval era, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived, much of the north fell to the Delhi sultanate, the south was united under the Vijayanagara Empire. The economy expanded in the 17th century in the Mughal empire, in the mid-18th century, the subcontinent came under British East India Company rule, and in the mid-19th under British crown rule. A nationalist movement emerged in the late 19th century, which later, under Mahatma Gandhi, was noted for nonviolent resistance, in 2015, the Indian economy was the worlds seventh largest by nominal GDP and third largest by purchasing power parity. Following market-based economic reforms in 1991, India became one of the major economies and is considered a newly industrialised country. However, it continues to face the challenges of poverty, corruption, malnutrition, a nuclear weapons state and regional power, it has the third largest standing army in the world and ranks sixth in military expenditure among nations. India is a constitutional republic governed under a parliamentary system. It is a pluralistic, multilingual and multi-ethnic society and is home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats. The name India is derived from Indus, which originates from the Old Persian word Hindu, the latter term stems from the Sanskrit word Sindhu, which was the historical local appellation for the Indus River. The ancient Greeks referred to the Indians as Indoi, which translates as The people of the Indus, the geographical term Bharat, which is recognised by the Constitution of India as an official name for the country, is used by many Indian languages in its variations. Scholars believe it to be named after the Vedic tribe of Bharatas in the second millennium B. C. E and it is also traditionally associated with the rule of the legendary emperor Bharata. Gaṇarājya is the Sanskrit/Hindi term for republic dating back to the ancient times, hindustan is a Persian name for India dating back to the 3rd century B. C. E. It was introduced into India by the Mughals and widely used since then and its meaning varied, referring to a region that encompassed northern India and Pakistan or India in its entirety

6.
States and territories of India
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India is a federal union comprising twenty-nine states and seven union territories. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and further into smaller administrative divisions, the Constitution of India distributes the sovereign executive and legislative powers exercisable with respect to the territory of any State between the Union and that State. The Indian subcontinent has been ruled by different ethnic groups throughout its history. Between 1947 and 1950, the territories of the states were politically integrated into the Indian Union. The new Constitution of India, which came into force on 26 January 1950, the new republic was also declared to be a Union of States. The nine Part A states were Assam, Bihar, Bombay, Madhya Pradesh, Madras, Orissa, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. The eight Part B states were former princely states or groups of states, governed by a rajpramukh, who was usually the ruler of a constituent state. The rajpramukh was appointed by the President of India, the Part B states were Hyderabad, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Bharat, Mysore, Patiala and East Punjab States Union, Rajasthan, Saurashtra, and Travancore-Cochin. The ten Part C states included both the former chief commissioners provinces and some states, and each was governed by a chief commissioner appointed by the President of India. The Part C states were Ajmer, Bhopal, Bilaspur, Coorg, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Cutch, Manipur, Tripura, the only Part D state was the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which were administered by a lieutenant governor appointed by the central government. The Union Territory of Puducherry was created in 1954 comprising the previous French enclaves of Pondichéry, Karaikal, Yanam, Andhra State was created on 1 October 1953 from the Telugu-speaking northern districts of Madras State. The States Reorganisation Act of 1956 reorganised the states based on linguistic lines resulting in the creation of the new states, as a result of this act, Madras State retained its name with Kanyakumari district added to from Travancore-Cochin. Andhra Pradesh was created with the merger of Andhra State with the Telugu-speaking districts of Hyderabad State in 1956, kerala was created with the merger of Malabar district and the Kasaragod taluk of South Canara districts of Madras State with Travancore-Cochin. The Laccadive Islands which were divided between South Canara and Malabar districts of Madras State were united and organised into the territory of Lakshadweep. Bombay State was enlarged by the addition of Saurashtra State and Kutch State, Rajasthan and Punjab gained territories from Ajmer and Patiala and East Punjab States Union respectively and certain territories of Bihar was transferred to West Bengal. Bombay State was split into the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra on 1 May 1960 by the Bombay Reorganisation Act. Nagaland was formed on 1 December 1963, the Punjab Reorganisation Act of 1966 resulted in the creation of Haryana on 1 November and the transfer of the northern districts of Punjab to Himachal Pradesh. The act also designated Chandigarh as a territory and the shared capital of Punjab

7.
Demonym
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A demonym is a word that identifies residents or natives of a particular place, which is derived from the name of that particular place. It is a neologism, previously gentilic was recorded in English dictionaries, e. g. the Oxford English Dictionary, thus a Thai may be any resident or citizen of Thailand, of any ethnic group, or more narrowly a member of the Thai people. Conversely, some groups of people may be associated with multiple demonyms, for example, a native of the United Kingdom may be called a British person, a Brit, or a Briton. In some languages, when a parallel demonym does not exist, in English, demonyms are capitalized and are often the same as the adjectival form of the place, e. g. Egyptian, Japanese, or Greek. Significant exceptions exist, for instance the adjectival form of Spain is Spanish, English widely includes country-level demonyms such as Ethiopian or Guatemalan and more local demonyms such as Seoulite, Wisconsinite, Chicagoan, Michigander, Fluminense, and Paulista. Some places lack a commonly used and accepted demonym and this poses a particular challenge to those toponymists who research demonyms. The word gentilic comes from the Latin gentilis and the English suffix -ic, the word demonym was derived from the Greek word meaning populace with the suffix for name. National Geographic attributes the term demonym to Merriam-Webster editor Paul Dickson in a recent work from 1990 and it was subsequently popularized in this sense in 1997 by Dickson in his book Labels for Locals. However, in What Do You Call a Person From, a Dictionary of Resident Names attributed the term to George H. Scheetz, in his Names Names, A Descriptive and Prescriptive Onymicon, which is apparently where the term first appears. Several linguistic elements are used to create demonyms in the English language, the most common is to add a suffix to the end of the location name, slightly modified in some instances. Cairo → Cairene Cyrenaica → Cyrene Damascus → Damascene Greece → Greek Nazareth → Nazarene Slovenia → Slovene Often used for Middle Eastern locations and European locations. Kingston-upon-Hull → Hullensian Leeds → Leodensian Spain → Spaniard Savoy → Savoyard -ese is usually considered proper only as an adjective, thus, a Chinese person is used rather than a Chinese. Monaco → Monégasque Menton → Mentonasque Basque Country → Basque Often used for French locations, mostly they are from Africa and the Pacific, and are not generally known or used outside the country concerned. In much of East Africa, a person of an ethnic group will be denoted by a prefix. For example, a person of the Luba people would be a Muluba, the plural form Baluba, similar patterns with minor variations in the prefixes exist throughout on a tribal level. And Fijians who are indigenous Fijians are known as Kaiviti and these demonyms are usually more informal and colloquial. In the United States such informal demonyms frequently become associated with mascots of the sports teams of the state university system. In other countries the origins are often disputed and these will typically be formed using the standard models above

8.
Marathi language
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Marathi is an Indian language spoken predominantly by the Marathi people of Maharashtra. It is the language and co-official language in the Maharashtra and Goa states of Western India, respectively. There were 73 million speakers in 2001, Marathi ranks 19th in the list of most spoken languages in the world, Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India, after Hindi, Bengali and Telugu in that order. Marathi has some of the oldest literature of all modern Indo-Aryan languages, the major dialects of Marathi are Standard Marathi and the Varhadi dialect. Malvani Konkani has been influenced by Marathi varieties. Marathi has several features that set it aside from most other Indian languages, Marathi distinguishes inclusive and exclusive forms of we and possesses a three-way gender system that features the neuter in addition to the masculine and the feminine. In its phonology it contrasts apico-alveolar with alveopalatal affricates and, in common with Gujarati, Marathi is primarily spoken in Maharashtra and parts of neighbouring states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, union-territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The cities of Baroda, Surat, and Ahmedabad, Belgaum, Karwar, Nipani, Indore, Gwalior, Adoni, Hyderabad, Marathi is also spoken by Maharashtrian emigrants worldwide, especially in the United States, United Kingdom, Israel, Mauritius, and Canada. Marathi is the language of Maharashtra and co-official language in the union territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra. In Goa, Konkani is the official language, however. Marathi is included among the languages which stand a part of the Eight Schedule of the Constitution of India, the contemporary grammatical rules described by Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad and endorsed by the Government of Maharashtra are supposed to take precedence in standard written Marathi. Traditions of Marathi Linguistics and the rules give special status to tatsamas. This special status expects the rules for tatsamas to be followed as in Sanskrit and this practice provides Marathi with a large treasure of Sanskrit words to cope with demands of new technical words whenever needed. Jawaharlal Nehru University has announced plans to establish a department for Marathi. Marathi Day is celebrated on 27 February, the birthday of poet Vishnu Vaman Shirwadkar, Indian languages, including Marathi, that belong to the Indo-Aryan language family are derived from early forms of Prakrit. Marathi is one of languages that further descend from Maharashtri Prakrit. Marathi literature began and grew owing to the rise of the Seuna dynasty of Devgiri, further growth and usage of the language was because of two religious sects – the Mahanubhava and Varkari panthans – who adopted Marathi as the medium for preaching their doctrines of devotion. Marathi had attained a place in court life by the time of the Seuna kings

9.
Indian Standard Time
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Indian Standard Time is the time observed throughout India and Sri Lanka, with a time offset of UTC+05,30. India does not observe daylight saving time or other seasonal adjustments, in military and aviation time IST is designated E*. Indian Standard Time is calculated on the basis of 82.30 E longitude, in Shankargarh Fort, in the tz database, it is represented by Asia/Kolkata. The Central observatory was moved from Chennai to a location at Shankargarh Fort Allahabad district, daylight Saving Time was used briefly during the China–Indian War of 1962 and the Indo–Pakistani Wars of 1965 and 1971. Inhabitants of the states have to advance their clocks with the early sunrise. In the late 1980s, a team of researchers proposed separating the country two or three time zones to conserve energy. The binary system that they suggested involved a return to British–era time zones, in 2001, the government established a four–member committee under the Ministry of Science and Technology to examine the need for multiple time zones and daylight saving. In Assam, tea gardens follow a separate time zone, known as the Chaibagaan or Bagan time, still Indian Standard Time remains the only officially used time. The filmmaker Jahnu Barua has been campaigning for a time zone for the past 25 years. In 2010, he suggested creating a time zone for the Development of Northeastern Region. In 2014, Chief Minister of Assam Tarun Gogoi started campaigning for another time zone for Assam, however, the proposal would need to be cleared by the Central Government of India. Official time signals are generated by the Time and Frequency Standards Laboratory at the National Physical Laboratory in New Delhi, the signals are based on atomic clocks and are synchronised with the worldwide system of clocks that support the Coordinated Universal Time. IST is taken as the time as it passes through almost the centre of India. To communicate the exact time to the people, the time is broadcast over the state-owned All India Radio. Telephone companies have dedicated phone numbers connected to mirror time servers that also relay the precise time, another increasingly popular means of obtaining the time is through Global Positioning System receivers

10.
Vehicle registration plate
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A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate or a license plate, is metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identification purposes. The registration identifier is a numeric or alphanumeric ID that uniquely identifies the owner within the issuing regions database. The first two letters indicate the state to which the vehicle is registered, the next two digit numbers are the sequential number of a district. Due to heavy volume of vehicle registration, the numbers were given to the RTO offices of registration as well, the third part indicates the year of registration of the vehicle and is a 4 digit number unique to each plate. In some countries, the identifier is unique within the entire country, whether the identifier is associated with a vehicle or a person also varies by issuing agency. In the vast majority of jurisdictions, the government holds a monopoly on the manufacturing of vehicle registration plates for that jurisdiction. Thus, it is illegal for private citizens to make and affix their own plates. Alternately, the government will merely assign plate numbers, and it is the owners responsibility to find an approved private supplier to make a plate with that number. In some jurisdictions, plates will be assigned to that particular vehicle for its lifetime. If the vehicle is destroyed or exported to a different country. Other jurisdictions follow a policy, meaning that when a vehicle is sold the seller removes the current plate from the vehicle. Buyers must either obtain new plates or attach plates they already hold, as well as register their vehicles under the buyers name, a person who sells a car and then purchases a new one can apply to have the old plates put onto the new car. One who sells a car and does not buy a new one may, depending on the laws involved, have to turn the old plates in or destroy them. Some jurisdictions permit the registration of the vehicle with personal plates, in some jurisdictions, plates require periodic replacement, often associated with a design change of the plate itself. Vehicle owners may or may not have the option to keep their original plate number, alternately, or additionally, vehicle owners have to replace a small decal on the plate or use a decal on the windshield to indicate the expiration date of the vehicle registration. Plates are usually fixed directly to a vehicle or to a frame that is fixed to the vehicle. Sometimes, the plate frames contain advertisements inserted by the service centre or the dealership from which the vehicle was purchased. Vehicle owners can also purchase customized frames to replace the original frames, in some jurisdictions licence plate frames are illegal

11.
Districts of Maharashtra
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The Indian State of Maharashtra came into existence on 1 May 1960. It is also known as Maharashtra Day, initially with 26 districts,10 new districts have been created since then, and currently the number of districts in the state is 36. These districts are grouped into six administrative divisions shown below, Maharashtra is divided into 36 districts, which are grouped into six divisions. Population data are extracted from the 2001 Census of India, tehsils in Maharashtra Maharashtra Census of India

12.
States and union territories of India
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India is a federal union comprising twenty-nine states and seven union territories. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and further into smaller administrative divisions, the Constitution of India distributes the sovereign executive and legislative powers exercisable with respect to the territory of any State between the Union and that State. The Indian subcontinent has been ruled by different ethnic groups throughout its history. Between 1947 and 1950, the territories of the states were politically integrated into the Indian Union. The new Constitution of India, which came into force on 26 January 1950, the new republic was also declared to be a Union of States. The nine Part A states were Assam, Bihar, Bombay, Madhya Pradesh, Madras, Orissa, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. The eight Part B states were former princely states or groups of states, governed by a rajpramukh, who was usually the ruler of a constituent state. The rajpramukh was appointed by the President of India, the Part B states were Hyderabad, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Bharat, Mysore, Patiala and East Punjab States Union, Rajasthan, Saurashtra, and Travancore-Cochin. The ten Part C states included both the former chief commissioners provinces and some states, and each was governed by a chief commissioner appointed by the President of India. The Part C states were Ajmer, Bhopal, Bilaspur, Coorg, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Cutch, Manipur, Tripura, the only Part D state was the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which were administered by a lieutenant governor appointed by the central government. The Union Territory of Puducherry was created in 1954 comprising the previous French enclaves of Pondichéry, Karaikal, Yanam, Andhra State was created on 1 October 1953 from the Telugu-speaking northern districts of Madras State. The States Reorganisation Act of 1956 reorganised the states based on linguistic lines resulting in the creation of the new states, as a result of this act, Madras State retained its name with Kanyakumari district added to from Travancore-Cochin. Andhra Pradesh was created with the merger of Andhra State with the Telugu-speaking districts of Hyderabad State in 1956, kerala was created with the merger of Malabar district and the Kasaragod taluk of South Canara districts of Madras State with Travancore-Cochin. The Laccadive Islands which were divided between South Canara and Malabar districts of Madras State were united and organised into the territory of Lakshadweep. Bombay State was enlarged by the addition of Saurashtra State and Kutch State, Rajasthan and Punjab gained territories from Ajmer and Patiala and East Punjab States Union respectively and certain territories of Bihar was transferred to West Bengal. Bombay State was split into the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra on 1 May 1960 by the Bombay Reorganisation Act. Nagaland was formed on 1 December 1963, the Punjab Reorganisation Act of 1966 resulted in the creation of Haryana on 1 November and the transfer of the northern districts of Punjab to Himachal Pradesh. The act also designated Chandigarh as a territory and the shared capital of Punjab

13.
Konkan Division
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Konkan division is one of the six administrative divisions of Maharashtra state in India. It comprises the Konkan region, which occupies the entire west coast of Maharashtra, the two districts in the state capital Mumbai also fall in Konkan division. Recently, the Mumbai district was bifurcated into the Mumbai & Mumbai Suburban districts, in 1961 the Konkan region became a part of the newly formed state of Maharashtra. Prior to this it was a part of Bombay province which was split to form Gujarat, creation of the Sindhudurg from the southern areas of the Ratnagiri district. The erstwhile Kolaba district was renamed as Raigad, the Panvel, New Panvel, and the Navi Mumbai International Airport regions also can be included in this proposed entirely urban district. Current proposal is to have Thane city, Navi Mumbai and Mira Bhayander into Thane urban district, for historical facts both Panvel and Karjat talukas were part of Thane district and in 1891 they were merged with Kolaba or the currently called Raigad district. This district can be a hundred percent tribal district, hence this proposal is centered on a third district comprising the non-tribal rural areas and talukas of Thane district and three talukas of Raigadh district. All these proposals are currently actively under consideration

14.
Palghar district
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Palghar District is a district in the state of Maharashtra in Konkan Division. At the 2011 Census, the talukas now comprising the district had a population of 2,990,116, Palghar has an urban population of 1,435,210, that is 48% of total population is living in Urbanized Area. The district is bounded by Thane and Nashik Districts on the east and northeast, the Arabian Sea forms the western boundary, while Vasai-Virar is part of Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Until 1 August 2014, the talukas now comprising Palghar District formed a part of Thane District, abhijit S. Bangar was the first Collector of the district. The district is the northernmost part of the Konkan lowlands of Maharashtra and it comprises the wide amphitheatre like Ulhas basin on the south and hilly Vaitarna valley on the north together with plateaus and the slopes of Sahyadri. From the steep slopes of the Sahyadri in the east, the falls through a succession of plateaus in the north. The distance from the parts of different palaces to headquarters Palghar by road is as follows, Khodala 138 km, Mokhada 112 km, Jawhar 75 km, the main river flowing through the district is the Vaitarna. The river has tributaries, the most important of them are Barvi and Bhatsa, Pinjal, Surya, Daherja. Vaitarna, the largest of Konkan Rivers rises in the Tryambak hills in Nashik district, the river flows across Shahapur, Vada and Palghar talukas and enter the Arabian Sea through a wide estuary off Arnala. Vaitarna River is 154 km long and has an area that practically covers the entire northern part of the district. Ulhas river which flows to Arabian see is Vasai creek, districts southern border, Arnala Island is located in Vasai taluka, at the entrance to the Vaitarna estuary. Palghar has an population of 1,435,210. The talukas, with their populations at the 2001 and 2011 Censuses are as follows, Palghar has one municipal corporation, the Western Railway network passes through Vasai, Palghar and Dahanu talukas of the district. Palghar has Indias first atomic power plant located at Tarapur, the industrial town of Boisar is also home to one of Maharashtras largest industrial areas at Tarapur MIDC. Maharashtras largest fishing port is Satpati, Dahanu, Arnala, Vasai, Dahanu and Palghar are the best known for their chickoo production in the whole of India. A special Chickoo festival is hosted in Palghar and Dahanu

15.
Navi Mumbai
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Navi Mumbai is a planned township of Mumbai off the west coast of the Indian state of Maharashtra in Konkan division. The city is divided into two parts, North Navi Mumbai and South Navi Mumbai, for the development of Panvel Mega City. The city would have its own international airport by 2019 and it is being developed primarily to ease the burden off Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai and to put Navi Mumbai on the global map as a stand-alone city. The area around the proposed Navi Mumbai International Airport will be controlled and planned by CIDCO under The Special Planning Authority - Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area, the place was selected because of its strategic location near Panvel. NAINA will be responsible for avoiding any haphazard development around the airport in Panvel, Navi Mumbai has a population of 1,119,477 as per the 2011 provisional census. The area was mooted in 1971 to be a new township of Mumbai by the Government Of Maharashtra. For this purpose a new public sector undertaking was established that is the CIDCO, Navi Mumbai is situated across two districts namely Thane and Raigad. The remaining newly developed and developing nodes in the Raigad district are administered by the CIDCO, Navi Mumbai is widely considered an entry point to Mumbai. The city has been ranked 12th among 73 cities surveyed for cleanliness and hygiene by the Union Ministry of Urban Development, Navi Mumbai is home to various educational institutions offering courses in several streams including engineering, medical sciences, interior designing, and hotel management. Various MNCs like Siemens, McDonalds, Bureau Veritas, Bizerba, Navi Mumbai also has many quality restaurants and luxury hotels for accommodation. There are many shopping malls such as Little World mall in Kharghar, Centre One, Inorbit, a phenomenal rate of urban growth has been experienced by India during the 25 years following independence and Bombay has had its due share in it. Development inputs could not keep pace with the growing population, industry, trade. Besides, there are limitations to the growth of a city built on a long and narrow peninsula. The Government of Maharashtra has been alive to the problems of this metropolis. Responsible public opinion was equally vigilant and several constructive suggestions appeared from time to time in the press, all this helped in keeping the problems of Bombay in the forefront of public awareness. In 1958, the Govt. of Bombay appointed a group under the Chairmanship of Shri S. G. The Barve Group reported in February 1959, One of its major recommendations was that a rail-cum-road bridge be built across the Thane Creek to connect peninsular Bombay with the mainland. The Group hoped that the development would be orderly and would take place in a planned manner

16.
Ambarnath
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Ambarnath more often spelt as Ambernath is a city in Indian state of Maharashtra which is also a part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Ambernath comes under the Thane district of Maharashtra, Ambarnath is part of Mumbai Metropolitan Region. The name Ambarnath literally means Sky-Lord, Ambarnath is the site of an old temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, dating back, to 1060 AD. The temple is carved out of stone in Hemadpanthi architectural style of construction, Ambarnath lies on Mumbai to Pune railway route. Most people rely on the link to commute to Mumbai for work. Like all Mumbai suburbs Ambarnath is divided into Ambarnath East and Ambarnath West by the railway, Ambarnath west is in an industrial zone and is home to hundreds of small and large chemical factories. An Ordnance Factory of the Ordnance Factories Board has been established by the Government of India which is one of the reasons for Ambarnath developing into a residential neighbourhood. A large manufacturing facility of WIMCO, Indias largest manufacturer of safety matchsticks, is located in Ambarnath on the Kalyan-Badlapur Road. Ambarnath is also famous for its Shiva temple, which is located in Ambarnath East, suryodaya Housing Society of Ambernath east is one of the richest housing societies in Thane district and has 101.6 acres of land in its possession. Merwyn Fernandes, a former Indian hockey player, played for the famous Indian Airlines hockey team in the 1970s and he represented India in 1980,1984 and the 1988 Summer Olympics. He was part of the Indian hockey team won the gold medal Summer Olympics at Moscow. He also received the Arjuna award

17.
Badlapur
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Badlapur is a city in Thane district, it is a part of Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Due to the growth in the nearby cities, people working in Mumbai have moved to Badlapur for a number of social economic reasons. Badlapur city encompasses the old Badlapur village, Kulgaon, Manjarli, Belavali, Katrap, Badlapur was named because, via Surat, it was a travel route from Konkan to Gujarat. The town was famous for its rich horse breeds, warriors changed their horses at the town in anticipation of the difficult climb through the Konkan area. The word change was linked to the town and was named pur in as Badla, Badlapur was recognised as a town for the first time in 1971 as a municipal town in the Ulhasnagar Tehasil. City has seen a massive growth since 80s and since then the population has increased rapidly, Badlapur city is in Thane district. It has an elevation of 44 meters. It is a station on the Mumbai-Pune route of the central railway and is located about 68 km from Mumbai and 34 km from Thane. Badlapur is a station for many Mumbai suburban local trains. The town is connected to the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. Badlapur city is divided in two areas, East and West, by railway station. The East-Badlapur is mostly built on the hills also some parts of West- badlapur, beautiful Ulhas river flows between Kulgaon and Badlapur gaon. Badlapur gaon is connected with two bridges on the river, the old bridge is out of use due to its smaller size and capacity. Badlapur was suffered to flood conditions because of its geographic nature, as of 2001 India census, there were 97,917 people residing in the city. Males constituted55% of the population and females 47%, Badlapur had an overall literacy rate of 76. 12%, higher than the national average of 59. 5%, with 81. 01% of the males and 72. 15% of females literate. 12% of the population is under 6 years of age, there were 1,971 SC and 4,841 population come under ST category. People living in the city are predominantly Maharashtrians, with Sikhs, Buddhist, Gujarati, Marwadi, Sindhi, North Indian, the city is largely recognised as a middle class suburb of Mumbai. The majority of the population is Hindu and a substantial Muslim community also lives in Badlapur, there are many temples, Mosques, Churches in town

18.
Nashik District
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Nashik district, also known as Nasik district, is a district in Maharashtra, India. The city of Nashik is the headquarters of the district. Nashik district is the third largest district in Maharashtra in terms of area occupying an area of 15,582 square kilometres in the region, the Western Ghats or Sahyadri range stretches from north to south across the western portion of the district. With the exception of the westernmost few villages, the portion is hilly, and intersected by ravines. The western slope of the Ghats is drained by rivers, including the Daman Ganga River. The larger eastern portion of the district, which lies on the Deccan Plateau, is open, fertile, the Satmala-Chandwad Range, which runs east and west, forms the chief divide of the plateau region. Peninsular Indias largest river Godavari originates in the district in the Trimbakeshwar Range, the Satmala-Chandwad Range forms a watershed, such that, the rivers emerging to its south drain into the Godavari. These include the Kadva and Darna both of which are tributaries of the Godavari, to the north of the Satmala-Chandwad Range, the Girna River and its tributary, the Mosam, flow eastward through fertile valleys into the Tapti River. In the 18th century, the present-day Nashik district was part of the Maratha Confederacy, the district contains several old hill forts, the scenes of many engagements during the Anglo-Maratha Wars. The district became British territory in 1818 on the overthrow of the Peshwa, the present-day district was initially divided between Kandesh and Ahmadnagar districts of Bombay Presidency, a province of British India. Nashik district was created in 1869, the population in 1901 was 816,504, showing a decrease of 3% in the decade 1891-1901. The principal crops were millet, wheat, pulse, oil-seeds, cotton, there were also some vineyards, and much garden cultivation. Yeola was an important centre for weaving silk and cotton goods, there were flour-mills at Malegaon, railway workshops at Manmad and Igatpuri, and cantonments at Deolali and Malegaon. At Sharanpur was a Christian village, with an orphanage of the Church Missionary Society, from Indias independence in 1947 up to 1960, Nashik district was part of Bombay State, which split into the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. The entire Nashik district is underlain by the lava flows. These flows are normally horizontally disposed over a stretch and give rise to table land type of topography also known a plateau. Nashik District is a noted for the mountains and hills occupying the north, broadly categorized, the hills can be segregated into 3 noteworthy ranges, Selbari Range which may be inclusive of the Dholbari range, alternately called Selbari-Dholbari range. Satmala Range also called the Satmala-Ajanta range, Trimbakeshwar Range constituting the Trimbak-Anjaneri hills

19.
Pune District
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Pune is situated in Maharashtra state of India. Pune city is the district headquarters, in the most recent census on 2011, the total population of the district was 9,426,959, making it the fourth most populous district in India. Urban population comprises 58. 08% of the total population, the current population of Pune urban agglomerate is over 5 million. The territory was formed into a district or sarkar, with sub-divisions called paragana. From such records as are available it appears that the collection was mostly farmed amongst the important chieftains who were henchmen of the Nizamshahi. Ahmednagar king had to bear the brunt of a attack from the Mughal armies which converged on the capital in 1595. Amongst the chieftains so favoured was Maloji Bhosale, who was made a Rana in 1595, Maloji Bhosale was also given charge of the forts of Shivneri and Chakan, which have played a very important part in the early political history of the Pune territory. Even before his coming into the title of Raja, Maloji had several watans as patil for a number of villages, Maloji had married Dipabai, sister of Jagpalrao Naik Nimbalkar, the deshmukh of Phaltan. In the year 1600, Ahmednagar was captured by the Mughals, thus, at the commencement of the seventeenth century, the suzerainty over the possessions of the Ahmednagar kingdom, including the Pune territory, passed to the Mughals. Malik Ambar, the minister of Nizam Shah, raised Murtaza II to the Nizamshahi throne with its temporary headquarters at Junnar. By the time Malik Ambar died in 1626, the system of the Pune area had been put on a sound. He, therefore, in 1629 broke with Nizam Shah and retired to Pune. But with a view perhaps to securing his own jagirs which would be endangered, he offered his allegiance to the Mughals, who besides confirming his jagirs conferred on him the command of 5,000 horses. In fact, in 1632 Shahaji forsook the Mughals and accepted the friendship of the Adilshahi rulers of Bijapur, after this success of the Mughals, the Ahmednagar kingdom ceased to exist, its territory being divided between the Adil Shah of Bijapur and the Mughals. In this scheme of division Pune fell to Bijapur, Shahaji for some time refused to surrender Junnar, which was the very seat of the foundation of the Nizamshahi dynasty. But this he had ultimately to surrender, Shahaji, however, seems to have enjoyed sufficient importance with the hostile powers to be called upon even in defeat to play an important part in the administration of the new regime. It was in this connection that when Shahaji went on his Karnatak expeditions that he left had passed under the control of Bijapur, the Fasli year was also officially introduced at this time. In so far as Shivaji had any official residence in Pune this was the place which he inhabited, Dadaji died in 1647, and Shivaji almost naturally took charge of all the responsibility that devolved on him as deputy of his father

20.
Ahmadnagar District
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Ahmednagar district is the largest district of Maharashtra state in western India. The historical Ahmednagar city is the headquarters of the district, Ahmednagar was the seat of the Ahmednagar Sultanate of late medieval period. This district is known for the towns of Shirdi associated with Sai Baba, Ahmednagar district is part of Nashik Division. The neighbouring districts to Ahmednagar district are Solapur, Osmanabad, Beed, Aurangabad, Nashik, Thane, Ahmednagar District was created after the defeat of the Maratha Confederacy in the Third Anglo-Maratha War in 1818, when most of the Peshwas domains were annexed to British India. The district remained part of the Central division of Bombay Presidency until Indias independence in 1947, when it became part of Bombay State, in 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Ahmednagar one of the countrys 250 most backward districts. It is one of the districts in Maharashtra currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme. Ahmednagar is Maharashtra’s most advanced district in many ways and it has the maximum number of sugar factories, perhaps to spread the message of “Rural Prosperity through Cooperation” it gave the country half a century ago. The first cooperative sugar factory in Asia was established at Pravanagar, a role model of water conservation work can be seen at Ralegaon-Siddhi, which is also called the Ideal Village. Newase where Dnyaneshwari was written, Shri Saibaba’s Shirdi, one of Ashtavinayaks at Siddhatek, the Palace of Chandbibi, the Bhandardara dam, the Maldhok sanctuary and the Rehkuri sanctuary are some of the places of tourist attraction. Ahmednagar district consists of fourteen talukas and these talukas are Ahmednagar district has twelve Vidhan Sabha constituencies, six in each of the two parliamentary constituencies. Sangamner is much developed city than Shrirampur, ralegaon Siddhi is a village in the district that is considered a model of environmental conservation. In the 2001 India census, Ahmednagar district had a population of 4,040,642, at that time the district was 19. 89% urban. Males represented 51. 55% of the population, and females 48. 45%, according to census, Hindus were 84%, Muslims 7%, Christians 4% and others were 4%. In the 2011 census Ahmednagar district recorded a population of 4,543,083 and this gave it a ranking of 33rd among the districts of India. The district had a density of 266 inhabitants per square kilometre. Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 12. 43%, ahmadnagar had a sex ratio of 934 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 80. 22%. Islam arrived in Ahmednagar during the Tughlaq dynasty, there are many Muslim monuments like Chand Bibi Mahal, Faria Baug, Ground Fort and many dargas, and they are found in main town and cities. Christianity arrived in the 18th century when the British took over the area from the Maratha empire onwards, christianity has been Ahmednagars third-largest religion, found all over the district except in the south-west

21.
Arabian Sea
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The Arabian Sea is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by northeastern Somalia and the Arabian Peninsula, and on the east by India. Historically the sea has been known by names including the Erythraean Sea. Its total area is 3,862,000 km2 and its depth is 4,652 metres. The Gulf of Aden is in the southwest, connecting the Arabian Sea to the Red Sea through the strait of Bab-el-Mandeb, the Arabian Sea has been crossed by important marine trade routes since the third or second millennium BCE. Major seaports include Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Mumbai, the Port of Karachi and the Gwadar Port in Pakistan, other important ports include in India, Kandla Port, and Mormugao in Goa. The largest islands in the Arabian Sea include Socotra, Masirah Island, Astola Island, the Arabian Seas surface area is about 3,862,000 km2. The maximum width of the Sea is approximately 2,400 km, the biggest river flowing into the Sea is the Indus River. There are also the gulfs of Khambhat and Kutch on the Indian coast, the countries with coastlines on the Arabian Sea are Somalia, Djibouti, Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Pakistan, India and the Maldives. There are several cities on the seas coast including Mumbai, Surat, Karachi, Gwadar, Pasni, Ormara, Aden, Muscat, Keti Bandar, Salalah, Duqm. International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Arabian Sea as follows, the Eastern limit of the Gulf of Aden. A line joining Ràs al Hadd, East point of Arabia, a line running from the South extremity of Addu Atoll, to the Eastern extreme of Ràs Hafun. The Western limit of the Laccadive Sea, by the time of Julius Caesar, several well-established combined land-sea trade routes depended upon water transport through the Sea around the rough inland terrain features to its north. Each major route involved transhipping to pack animal caravan, travel through country and risk of bandits. Later the kingdom of Axum arose in Ethiopia to rule a mercantile empire rooted in the trade with Europe via Alexandria, Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Mumbai is the largest port in the Arabian Sea, and the largest container port in India. The Port of Karachi is Pakistans largest and busiest seaport, handling about 60% of the nations cargo and it is located between the Karachi towns of Kiamari and Saddar, close to the main business district and several industrial areas. The geographic position of the places it in close proximity to major shipping routes such as the Strait of Hormuz. The history of the port is intertwined with that of the city of Karachi, several ancient ports have been attributed in the area including Krokola, Morontobara, Barbarikon (the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, and Debal. It warns sailors about whirlpools and advises them to safety in Kaurashi harbour if they found themselves drifting dangerously

22.
Mumbai City District
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Mumbai City District is a district of Maharashtra in Konkan Division. As a city district, it has no headquarters or subdivisions and it, along with the Mumbai Suburban District, makes up the metropolis of Mumbai. The city area is called the city or South Mumbai or Old Mumbai. It extends from Colaba in the south to Mahim and Sion in the north, the city has an area of 157 km² and a population of 3,085,411. The city of Bombay came in light in the year 150 A. D. through the work of renowned geographer. The city, consisting of several islands, was ruled by native Agris and kolis. These natives ruled the islands up to 1345, thereafter, Mumbais rulers changed through history until Islamic rulers conquered what is now Maharashtra and conquered some of the islands in 1534. Subsequently, a Muslim sultan of Gujarat took over all the islands, initially, Charles II entrusted the administration of Bombay to the East India Company. By a Royal Charter under the Regulation XIX of 1827, passed by the British Government, the Collector of Bombay enjoyed vast authority under the Bombay Land Revenue Act 1876 which was repealed by the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code 1966. According to the 2011 census Mumbai City district has a population of 3,085,411 and this gives it a ranking of 115th in India. The district has a density of 19,652 inhabitants per square kilometre. Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was -7. 57%, Mumbai City has a sex ratio of 832 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 89. 21%. Govt of Maharashtra Official site of Mumbai city collectorate

23.
Mumbai Suburban District
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Mumbai Suburban District is a district of Maharashtra in Konkan Division. It consists of three subdivisions, Kurla, Andheri, and Borivali. The district along with Mumbai City district and other suburban communities make up the metropolis of Mumbai on Salsette Island, the district occupies an area of 446 km². This is the second smallest district of Maharashtra, and it comes under Konkan Division. The jurisdiction of Mumbai Suburban District is from Bandra to Dahisar, from Kurla to Mulund, Mumbai Suburban District is one of the largest districts in the country by population. The current population is 9,332,481, according to the 2011 census, the Mithi River is the main river in the district. Mumbai Suburban district was created on 1 October 1990 when Greater Mumbai bifurcated into Mumbai City, according to the 2011 census, Mumbai Suburban district has a population of 9,332,481, roughly equal to the nation of Benin or the US state of North Carolina. This gives it a ranking of 5th in India, the district has a population density of 25,291.28 inhabitants per square kilometre. Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 8. 01%, Mumbai Suburban has a sex ratio of 857 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 90. 9%. Western Suburbs Eastern Suburbs South Mumbai Mumbai Official website of Mumbai suburban district Maharashtra government

24.
Raigad District
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Raigad District is a district in the state of Maharashtra, India. In 2011 the district had a population of 2,635,394, in 2011 urban dwellers had increased to 36. 91% from 24. 22% in 2001. The district is bounded by Mumbai Harbour to the northwest, Thane District to the north, Pune District to the east, Ratnagiri district to the south, and the Arabian Sea to the west. It includes the natural harbour of Pen-Mandwa, which is immediately south of Mumbai harbour. The northern part of the district is included in the metropolis of Navi Mumbai, and its port. The district includes towns/cities of Panvel, Alibag, Mangaon, Roha, Pen, Khopoli, Kharghar, Taloja, Khalapur, Uran, Patalganga, Rasayani, Nagothana, Poladpur, Karjat, the largest city both in area and population is Panvel. The district also includes the isle of Gharapuri or Elephanta, located in Uran which has ancient Hindu, Kulaba district was split from Thane district in 1869. According to the 1872 census, Kulaba district had a population of just over 350,000 people, with 94% of the population being Hindus, in 1881 the population was about 382,000, with 95% of the population being Hindus. Bhagat, Patil, Mhatre, Naik, Thakur, are famous, at this point the northernmost parts of modern Raigad district were retained in Thane district. Kolaba district was subsequently renamed Raigad district, after the British took over the old Colaba and this region, they established four Anglo – Vernacular medium school and 30 government schools in the year 1865–66. In the year 1861 the first school for girls was started in Alibag, the Mission Church started the first English school in Alibag in 1879. College, One Polytechnic Institute and One MMS College, Raigad district is divided into four subdivisions, with fifteen talukas, and 1,967 villages. According to the 2011 census Raigad district has a population of 2,634,200 and this gives it a ranking of 153rd in India. The district has a density of 368 inhabitants per square kilometre. Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 19. 36%, Raigad has a sex ratio of 955 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 83. 89%. Several scheduled tribes live in Raigad district, among these are the Mahadev, Koli, Katkari and Thakur. Raigad District is connected to Mumbai by Sion Panvel Expressway, the Mumbai-Pune expressway and NH4 passes through Panvel. NH17, which starts at Panvel, traverses the whole district, the Konkan Railway line starts at Roha and passes through Mangaon and Veer

25.
Roha
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Roha is a small city and taluka in the Raigad district of the Maharashtra state of India. It is located 120 km southeast of Mumbai and it is the starting point of kokan railways and end point of central railways. Many chemical industries have opened up their bases here. Roha is located between the banks of the Kundalika River and the hills of Kalasgiri and it has a population of over 1,40,000. Roha is connected to Mumbai by Panvel-Roha railway line, Roha is also the northern end of the Konkan Railway. Roha is off of the Mumbai Goa Highway, via the Kolad road, Roha is very well known for its Dhavir Temple. Dhavir Maharaj is the deity of Roha. Every year the town celebrates Navaratri by holding a festival called Dasra at the Dhavir Temple. On the day following Dasra, a palkhi carrying the statute of Dhavir Maharaj is taken through the town where it visits each house for the aarti and it is presumably, only after Durga, Kokatta, that the palkhi is given government salaami with full honours. Hanuman Tekadi, - A beautiful temple of Lord Hanuman is built on a hill, at its top, the full city of Roha can be seen, as well as panoramic views of the city and the sunset. The road to the top is a route for morning and evening walks among residents of Roha. The Kundalika is a river flowing from the Hills of Sahyadri to the Arabian Sea. This river originates at a town called Bhira in the Indian State of Maharashtra,150 km south east of Mumbai. Roha is located on the banks of Kundalika, the river is gaining popularity in recent times due to the rafting opportunities it provides during certain months at Kolad, a place on the National Highway no 17, about 10 km from Roha. Pujya Pandurang Vaijnath Shastri Athavale was born on 19 October 1920 in the village of Roha and he was an Indian philosopher, spiritual leader, social reformer and Hinduism reformist, who founded the Swadhyay Movement and the Swadhyay Parivar organization. Another notable resident was C. D. Deshmukh, Governor of RBI, avchitgad, - The fort is situated near Roha. At the base of fort is a village called Medha. The approximate height of this fort is 977 feet It is a fairly easy trek through the jungle up to the fort which takes about an hour to climb, the great Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji is also believed to have reconstructed this fort

26.
Mahad
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Mahad pronunciation is a city and a municipal council in Raigad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. In the 2001 census the city had a population of 24,276 and it is situated about 150 km to the south of Mumbai. It has become a tourist destination because of its beautiful surroundings, Mahad has a personality of its own due to its mythological, historical, social and cultural importance. The city, vibrant and active on the industrial, political, social and cultural fronts, has influenced the lives of great personalities. Mahad taluka is the biggest in Raigad district by area, the city was well known Mahads history dates back to as far as Raigad fort, the capital of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Mahad is considered as the Land of freedom fighters, many revolutionary freedom movements of India originated in Mahad. It is famous for the water satyagraha of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar for Dalits at Chavdar Tale, apart from this, it had a glorious history during the rule of the great Maratha King Shivaji. The capital of hindavi swarajya and samadhi of Shivaji Maharaj is at Raigad fort. which is around 24 km from city and it was part of Birwadi Subha and was ruled by Birwadi Subhedars Kadams. The samadhi of Shivajis mother Jijabai is at Pachad situated at foothills of Raigad fort, the famous Hirkani was from Raigadwadi village. It is true and widely accepted that the Shivajis political victory was followed by the social revolution carried out by his teacher Saint Tukaram, the village Umarath of Tanaji Malusare & Kinjaloli of Murarbaji are also in vicinity of Mahad. The first RBI governor of India C. D. Deshmukhs birthplace in Nate Village is nearly 8 km from Mahad, according to the mythological story, Gandharpale Caves are the sculptured houses built in one night by the Pandavas. Originally these caves are Buddhist caves build during the reign of Prince Vishnupalita Kambhoja, Mahad is one of the well-known holiday destinations in Konkan region. It sees heavy rainfall during monsoon, there are numerous temples around Mahad. The festivals most celebrated by people are Holi and Ganpati festival. Mahad is just 20 km from Mangaon, apart from this, Mahad was the central market for people of Poladpur, the Raigad villages and the hill station Mahabaleshwar. It has a huge market in the part. The city is surrounded by the Sahyadri mountain ranges and the Savitri, Kal and Gandhari rivers originating through Mahabaleswar, hills in Mulshi, Mahad was a very flourishing port in the past. Mahadi Gul was very famous in Gujarat which is made in Satara, Pune districts, veer Railway Station is near Mahad Town National Highway NH66 passes through Mahad

27.
Kulaba District
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Raigad District is a district in the state of Maharashtra, India. In 2011 the district had a population of 2,635,394, in 2011 urban dwellers had increased to 36. 91% from 24. 22% in 2001. The district is bounded by Mumbai Harbour to the northwest, Thane District to the north, Pune District to the east, Ratnagiri district to the south, and the Arabian Sea to the west. It includes the natural harbour of Pen-Mandwa, which is immediately south of Mumbai harbour. The northern part of the district is included in the metropolis of Navi Mumbai, and its port. The district includes towns/cities of Panvel, Alibag, Mangaon, Roha, Pen, Khopoli, Kharghar, Taloja, Khalapur, Uran, Patalganga, Rasayani, Nagothana, Poladpur, Karjat, the largest city both in area and population is Panvel. The district also includes the isle of Gharapuri or Elephanta, located in Uran which has ancient Hindu, Kulaba district was split from Thane district in 1869. According to the 1872 census, Kulaba district had a population of just over 350,000 people, with 94% of the population being Hindus, in 1881 the population was about 382,000, with 95% of the population being Hindus. Bhagat, Patil, Mhatre, Naik, Thakur, are famous, at this point the northernmost parts of modern Raigad district were retained in Thane district. Kolaba district was subsequently renamed Raigad district, after the British took over the old Colaba and this region, they established four Anglo – Vernacular medium school and 30 government schools in the year 1865–66. In the year 1861 the first school for girls was started in Alibag, the Mission Church started the first English school in Alibag in 1879. College, One Polytechnic Institute and One MMS College, Raigad district is divided into four subdivisions, with fifteen talukas, and 1,967 villages. According to the 2011 census Raigad district has a population of 2,634,200 and this gives it a ranking of 153rd in India. The district has a density of 368 inhabitants per square kilometre. Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 19. 36%, Raigad has a sex ratio of 955 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 83. 89%. Several scheduled tribes live in Raigad district, among these are the Mahadev, Koli, Katkari and Thakur. Raigad District is connected to Mumbai by Sion Panvel Expressway, the Mumbai-Pune expressway and NH4 passes through Panvel. NH17, which starts at Panvel, traverses the whole district, the Konkan Railway line starts at Roha and passes through Mangaon and Veer

28.
Kolaba district
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Raigad District is a district in the state of Maharashtra, India. In 2011 the district had a population of 2,635,394, in 2011 urban dwellers had increased to 36. 91% from 24. 22% in 2001. The district is bounded by Mumbai Harbour to the northwest, Thane District to the north, Pune District to the east, Ratnagiri district to the south, and the Arabian Sea to the west. It includes the natural harbour of Pen-Mandwa, which is immediately south of Mumbai harbour. The northern part of the district is included in the metropolis of Navi Mumbai, and its port. The district includes towns/cities of Panvel, Alibag, Mangaon, Roha, Pen, Khopoli, Kharghar, Taloja, Khalapur, Uran, Patalganga, Rasayani, Nagothana, Poladpur, Karjat, the largest city both in area and population is Panvel. The district also includes the isle of Gharapuri or Elephanta, located in Uran which has ancient Hindu, Kulaba district was split from Thane district in 1869. According to the 1872 census, Kulaba district had a population of just over 350,000 people, with 94% of the population being Hindus, in 1881 the population was about 382,000, with 95% of the population being Hindus. Bhagat, Patil, Mhatre, Naik, Thakur, are famous, at this point the northernmost parts of modern Raigad district were retained in Thane district. Kolaba district was subsequently renamed Raigad district, after the British took over the old Colaba and this region, they established four Anglo – Vernacular medium school and 30 government schools in the year 1865–66. In the year 1861 the first school for girls was started in Alibag, the Mission Church started the first English school in Alibag in 1879. College, One Polytechnic Institute and One MMS College, Raigad district is divided into four subdivisions, with fifteen talukas, and 1,967 villages. According to the 2011 census Raigad district has a population of 2,634,200 and this gives it a ranking of 153rd in India. The district has a density of 368 inhabitants per square kilometre. Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 19. 36%, Raigad has a sex ratio of 955 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 83. 89%. Several scheduled tribes live in Raigad district, among these are the Mahadev, Koli, Katkari and Thakur. Raigad District is connected to Mumbai by Sion Panvel Expressway, the Mumbai-Pune expressway and NH4 passes through Panvel. NH17, which starts at Panvel, traverses the whole district, the Konkan Railway line starts at Roha and passes through Mangaon and Veer

29.
Raigad district
–
Raigad District is a district in the state of Maharashtra, India. In 2011 the district had a population of 2,635,394, in 2011 urban dwellers had increased to 36. 91% from 24. 22% in 2001. The district is bounded by Mumbai Harbour to the northwest, Thane District to the north, Pune District to the east, Ratnagiri district to the south, and the Arabian Sea to the west. It includes the natural harbour of Pen-Mandwa, which is immediately south of Mumbai harbour. The northern part of the district is included in the metropolis of Navi Mumbai, and its port. The district includes towns/cities of Panvel, Alibag, Mangaon, Roha, Pen, Khopoli, Kharghar, Taloja, Khalapur, Uran, Patalganga, Rasayani, Nagothana, Poladpur, Karjat, the largest city both in area and population is Panvel. The district also includes the isle of Gharapuri or Elephanta, located in Uran which has ancient Hindu, Kulaba district was split from Thane district in 1869. According to the 1872 census, Kulaba district had a population of just over 350,000 people, with 94% of the population being Hindus, in 1881 the population was about 382,000, with 95% of the population being Hindus. Bhagat, Patil, Mhatre, Naik, Thakur, are famous, at this point the northernmost parts of modern Raigad district were retained in Thane district. Kolaba district was subsequently renamed Raigad district, after the British took over the old Colaba and this region, they established four Anglo – Vernacular medium school and 30 government schools in the year 1865–66. In the year 1861 the first school for girls was started in Alibag, the Mission Church started the first English school in Alibag in 1879. College, One Polytechnic Institute and One MMS College, Raigad district is divided into four subdivisions, with fifteen talukas, and 1,967 villages. According to the 2011 census Raigad district has a population of 2,634,200 and this gives it a ranking of 153rd in India. The district has a density of 368 inhabitants per square kilometre. Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 19. 36%, Raigad has a sex ratio of 955 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 83. 89%. Several scheduled tribes live in Raigad district, among these are the Mahadev, Koli, Katkari and Thakur. Raigad District is connected to Mumbai by Sion Panvel Expressway, the Mumbai-Pune expressway and NH4 passes through Panvel. NH17, which starts at Panvel, traverses the whole district, the Konkan Railway line starts at Roha and passes through Mangaon and Veer

30.
Dahanu
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Dahanu is a coastal town and a municipal council in Palghar district of Maharashtra state in Konkan division. It is located 110 km from Mumbai city Dahanu is located 65 km north of Virar on the Western Railway line of Mumbai Suburban Railway and it can be reached from National Highway NH-8,24 km off from Charoti Naka. It is 22 km North of Boisar on the Western Railway line, nearby Sai temple is located in Narpad. Also famous for Mahalaxmi Temple located just 4 km from Charoti, the name Dahanu Gaon originates from the word Dhenu Gram meaning the village of cows. A lot of cattle, particularly cows were owned by the people in Dahanu, today, Dahanu has become a major commercial and industrial town in the Palghar district. It is well known for rose gardens, coconut groves and the chickoo fruit, rubber balloons, rice mills and manufactured goods, are major manufacturing products which are produced in Dahanu. There is also a 2x250MW power plant that supplies electricity to Mumbai, the electricity is distributed by Reliance Energy. Dahanu, a seaside town with a sprawling, uncluttered beach. The Dahanu-Bordi stretch is 17 km, Irani settlers, an down to earth people started cultivating chickoo in Dahanu and hence first to cultivate chickoo in Dahanu. Dahanu is lined with orchards and is favored for its chickoo fruit. Lycees is also grown. Accessible from Dahanu is Udwada—a significant place of worship for the Zoroastrians—with a large and this fire has been kept alive for almost a thousand years. Earlier Dahanu was also famous for Tadi business which was controlled by Shinwar Jogi Kadu, his brother Bangya Jogi Kadu and they are one of the richest family in the town with other Iranians at that time. Dahanu is governed by Dahanu Municipal Council which is responsible for all the civic infrastructure, mrs. Ramila Manoj Patil is the current president of the Dahanu Municipal Council and its chief officer is Mr. Vinod Dawle. Dahanu is an ancient town with a long history and it was settled probably as early as 500 CE. Some records show possible settlement as early as 150 BC, the prominent tribes in the area whose names are unknown were displaced by Aryan Tribes. The Warli tribe is among these first semi Aryan tribes and they seem to have accepted a minority of Dravid tribes into their community. The reasons for nomadic lifestyle are unknown, all these developments are before 100 CE and are in reference to Dahanu area rather than dahanu village. Soon it attracted many other communities like Tribals, Gujrathis, and it was frequented by Arab travellers

31.
Karjat
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Karjat is a city, a Municipal Council, a Tahsil and a sub-district in Raigad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Karjat is also a part of a Mumbai Metropolitan City and it is a rapidly developing city of a Raigad district which is well connected to the Panvel, Mumbai, Thane and Pune. There are Engineering, Medical, Pharmacy, Agriculture, and many educational institutes are present in a Karjat, Karjat is located at 18. 91°N73. 33°E﻿ /18.91,73.33, and has a population of 2,17,363. It is located on Bhor ghat, Sahyadri, Western Ghats as well as at the end of coastal plains of Konkan region near Deccan and it has an average elevation of 194 metres. It lies on the banks of the River Ulhas. The Karjat city is divided into two areas, East and West, by the railway. Tourism, Adventure Sports, Higher Education, Film Shooting, Retailing, Nurseries & Plantation, Karjat is a tahsil/taluk in Maharashtra and is situated in the Asthavinayak Ganesha belt region. As Karjat is a part of Mumbai metropolitan area, MMRDA has cleared Karjat for advanced Urban Planning with minimum FSI of 1.0. and CIDCO is being entrusted with town planning and implementation. New Housing policy has removed many procedural hurdles, which will facilitate ultra-modern urbanisation of the area and it has several tourist attractions including Palasdari, Matheran, Khandala, Bhimashankar, Malshej Ghat, Lonavla, etc. Air, The nearest airport is Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport and the Navi Mumbai International Airport, rail, Karjat railway station is a major rail terminus, connected via local trains to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Mumbai, Khopoli and Panvel. It is well connected to Mumbai via Mumbai Local Trains, the fast local train takes 1 Hour 40 minutes to reach Mumbai and slow local trains takes 2 hr to reach at Mumbai. All the express trains going towards Pune take stop of 10 minutes at Karjat station, Karjat is about 100 km from Mumbai and 92 km from Pune. The under construction sea over bridge, trans-harbour link between Sewri, Mumbai and Navi Mumbai will cut the distance between the two cities further and offer faster connectivity to Karjat also. Its proximity to industries and holiday spots with good connectivity has made it a unique city in India. Sea, The Nhava Sheva JNPT Port is the nearest seaport and it is well connected to other cities in and around state by Maharashtra state owned passenger buses. Many privately owned buses also provide service between Karjat and neighboring cities, including Mumbai and Panavel. Private taxis are available near station. Karjat is a spot for weekend holidays, picnics, river rafting, trekking, hiking. It is a destination during rainy season

32.
Salsette
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Not to be confused with Salcete, Goa. Salsette Island is an island in Maharashtra state on Indias west coast, the metropolis of Mumbai and the cities of Thane and Mira-Bhayandar lie on it, making it very populous and one of the most densely populated islands in the world. It has about 15.1 million inhabitants living on an area of about 619 km². Salsette is bounded on the north by Vasai Creek, on the northeast by the Ulhas River, on the east by Thane Creek and Bombay Harbour, and on the south and west by the Arabian Sea. The island of Trombay that was to the southeast of Salsette is today part of Salsette as much of the swamps have been reclaimed. It contains Borivali National Park, also known as Sanjay Gandhi National Park, the city of Thane is at the northeastern corner, on the Thane Creek while its suburb Mira-Bhayander lies in the northwest corner. Politically, the Mumbai City district covers the south of Mahim. The northern portion lies within Thane District, which extends across Vasai, the word Sasashti is Marathi for sixty-six, referring to the original sixty-six villages on the island. They were converted to Roman Catholicism by four religious orders — Dominicans, Franciscans, Augustinians and these original natives of Salsette are the East Indian Catholics and Kolis. 109 Buddhist caves, including those at Kanheri, can be found on the island, Salsette was ruled by a succession of Hindu kingdoms, the last of which were the Silharas. In 1343, the islands were annexed by the Muslim Sultanate of Gujarat, in 1534, the Portuguese took the islands from Sultan Bahadur Shah of Gujarat. Sashti became part of the province of Portuguese India, which was governed from Baçaím on the north shore of Vasai Creek. It was leased to D. Diogo Rodrigues also called as Mestre Diego from 25 October 1535 to 1548, on the island of Mazagaon, the Jesuits had set up base claiming the land. The Portuguese king refused to entertain their claim and in 1572 permanently leased the island to the de Souza e Lima family, by now, there was a large Roman Catholic population. The Portuguese also brought with them African slaves known as Kaffirs, the Portuguese had established Goa, which lay south of the islands, as their headquarters in India. Goa was then known as the Lisbon of the East and was capital of the Portuguese Indian Vice-Kingdom, due to its prominence the islands were never important to the Portuguese. Nine Roman Catholic churches were built on Sashti island by the Portuguese, Nirmal, Nossa Senhora dos Remédios, Sandor, Agashi, Nandakal, Papdy, Pale, Manickpur, and Nossa Senhora das Mercês. In 1661, the seven Bombay islets were ceded to Britain as part of the dowry of Catherine of Bragança to King Charles II of England while Salsette remained in Portuguese hands

33.
Panvel
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Panvel is a village in Raigad district of Maharashtra, in Konkan Division. The city is highly populated due to its closeness to Mumbai, Panvel is located in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Panvel is the first Municipal Corporation in Raigad and the 27th Municipal corporation of Maharashtra State, Panvel is situated on the banks of Panvel Creek. It is also surrounded by mountains on 2 sides, Panvel is a huge and most populated city in Raigad district. The city is the headquarters of the Panvel sub-division of Raigad district, the development authority of Panvel is the Panvel Municipal Corporation and that of New Panvel is City and Industrial Development Corporation. Panvel is located on Mumbai Bangalore Highway, the villages of Panvel Taluka come under the purview of Raigad Zilla Parishad. Weather is humid across the year, there is heavy rain during monsoon. Once upon a time Panvel was famous for its rice market, Panvel Municipal Council was established in the year 1852, and is the oldest municipal council of Maharashtra. Panvel Municipal Councils elections started in the year 1910, the first mayor of the PMC was Mr. Yusuf Noor Mohammed Master for the years 1910–1916. The sesquicentennial anniversary of the PMC was celebrated in the year 2002, the city prospered and grew due to the influence of large scale trade by land and sea. This was characterised by the large homes that came up during the Peshwa period. It is also said that old name of city was Paneli. There were historic cannons situated on Panvel port, on 1 October 2016, Panvel Municipal Corporation came into existence. It lies adjacent to the Navi Mumbai International Airport forming its eastern boundary, the recent developments of Panvel are in New Panvel. New Panvel is developed, administered, and maintained by CIDCO, though residents of New Panvel elect a representative in the Panvel Municipal Council, the Municipal Council does not control or manage any administrative or development activity in New Panvel. The development of New Panvel was initiated in 1970 to meet the requirements of employees working in the nearby industrial MIDC areas such as Taloja, Rasayani. New Panvel is strategically located on the side of the Mumbai-Bangalore National Highway. It is well connected to rest of India by road and railway, New Panvel is divided in two parts – New Panvel East and New Panvel West

34.
Karanja Lad
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Karanja or Karanja Lad is a city and a municipal council in Washim district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Karanja is also known as Karanja Lad and mainly referred to as such, the town is named after Saint Karanj. Karanja is a place for Hindus and Jains. It is the birthplace of Shri Nrusimha Saraswati Swami Maharaj, believed to be the incarnation of Lord Dattatreya. There is a lake in Karanja Lad known as Rishi Talao. The town was looted twice by the famous Maratha sardar Prataprao Gujar on the order of the sole sovereign Hindu King. Karanja was ruled by Nawab Subhan Khan, whose mahal is currently used as a Municipal Council Office and his Godowns is used as the Karanja police station. He has built a lot of structures around Karanja Lad and he constructed a wall and four doors around Karanja, namely the Delhi Gate, the Darwha Gate, the Mangrul Gate and the Poha Gate. His name and period of ruling is embossed on the Municipal Office, all gates and he had also built a big mosque in the Astana Area of Karanja Lad. The Nawab Subhan Khan Masjid mosque is named after him, as of the 2001 Indian census, Karanja had a population of 60,158. Males made up 52% of the population and females 48%, Karanja has an average literacy rate of 72%, higher than the national average of 59. 5%. Male literacy rate is 78%, and female literacy is 67%, Karanja is located at 20°48′33″N 77°48′33″E. It has an elevation of 422 metres. The Adan River flows near Karanja city and it is an important source of domestic water supply to the city. There are three lakes situated in the city, the Rishi Talaw, the Sarang Talaw and the Chandra Talaw, Karanja is normally hot but the wells usually have water all year round. Karanja receives an average of 33 inches of rainfall during the monsoon season, Karanja is famous for its Nrusimha Saraswati Swami Maharaj temple. Shri Nrusimha Saraswati Gurumaharaj is the 2nd avatar of Lord Dattatreya, born in Karanja in 1378, He travelled far and wide in what are now known as the States of Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. He achieved Sainthood and performed several miracles and he imparted spiritual knowledge to his disciples, many of whom themselves attained Sainthood

35.
Mumbai (Suburban)
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Mumbai Suburban District is a district of Maharashtra in Konkan Division. It consists of three subdivisions, Kurla, Andheri, and Borivali. The district along with Mumbai City district and other suburban communities make up the metropolis of Mumbai on Salsette Island, the district occupies an area of 446 km². This is the second smallest district of Maharashtra, and it comes under Konkan Division. The jurisdiction of Mumbai Suburban District is from Bandra to Dahisar, from Kurla to Mulund, Mumbai Suburban District is one of the largest districts in the country by population. The current population is 9,332,481, according to the 2011 census, the Mithi River is the main river in the district. Mumbai Suburban district was created on 1 October 1990 when Greater Mumbai bifurcated into Mumbai City, according to the 2011 census, Mumbai Suburban district has a population of 9,332,481, roughly equal to the nation of Benin or the US state of North Carolina. This gives it a ranking of 5th in India, the district has a population density of 25,291.28 inhabitants per square kilometre. Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 8. 01%, Mumbai Suburban has a sex ratio of 857 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 90. 9%. Western Suburbs Eastern Suburbs South Mumbai Mumbai Official website of Mumbai suburban district Maharashtra government

36.
Aarey Milk Colony
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The Aarey Milk Colony is a neighbourhood situated in Goregaon East, a suburb of the city of Mumbai, India. It was established in 1949 and officially inaugurated by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1951, Aarey Milk Colony includes 12 villages – Sai, Gundgav, Film City, Royal Palms, Dindoshi, Aarey, Pahadi Goregaon, Vyraval, Kondivita, Maroshi, Parjapur and Paspoli. In 1977,200 hectares of land was carved out from Aarey village to establish Film City, the colony is spread over 16 square kilometres and is located off the Western Express Highway. Among the attractions in it are Chhota Kashmir with a lake, the colony also has gardens, a nursery, lakes, an observation pavilion, picnic facilities, and milk plants. 16,000 cattle are reared on 1,287 hectares of land, the management of all these is outsourced to a private firm every two years. Film City is frequently used for movie shoots, there is a road within the colony built by the Maharashtra Public Works Department that connects the Western Express Highway to Powai. The Aarey Colony administration earlier collected toll from the users of the road, in 2014, the MCGM took over the road and ended the collection of the toll. It is also the location of the proposed carshed and depot for Line 3 of the Mumbai Metro, the Aarey Milk Colony occupies a total area of 3166 acres of land, out of which area is available for cultivation of quality fodder and grasses is only about 400 acres. Land is also leased out to various organization and institutions of state Govt. and Central Govt. as follows, institute 229.92 Total land given to State Govt. Each stable has been provided with a building such as hay godown, chaff-cutting sheds, calving lines and residential accommodation for the cattle owner. The private cattle owner who are maintaining their herds in the Mumbai city prior to 1949 were shifted and allotted Licenses to maintain their buffalos in the colony stables, at present, Aarey Milk colony has got the capacity of accommodating 16079 cattle in 30 units. The license are required to pay the license fee, occupation charges, water and electricity charges. Animal Husbandry Scheme, - Cow Unit Scheme, - Under this scheme, nearly 1700 indigenous and this study will be useful to advise the farmers in the Maharashtra state regarding the breeding policies that can be practiced by them for breeding. Their cross breeds progeny at the village level, maintenance of cross breed herds will be economic while the indigenous herds will be showing some amount of losses, but it will be a good study for future planning. In order to increase the revenue and decrease the losses incurred the following activities are initiated from 2001 -02, the unutilized godowns which were earlier used for storing the fodder and concentrated animal feed are rented to various parties by calling the public tenders. Various stall open spoken were allotted for vendors stalls, restaurant general stores on rental basis, the agricultural produce from the various trees e. g. Coconuts, Mango, Cashew nuts etc. were given as contractual basis The various recourses and by products e. g. A large portion of Bimal Roys Madhumati was shot in area, to match the earlier footage shot in Nainital

37.
Jawhar
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Jawhar is a city and a municipal council in Palghar district of Maharashtra state in Konkan division. Jawhar was a city of the erstwhile princely state of Jawhar. Situated in the ranges of the Western Ghats, Jawhar is known for its picturesque setting and it is one of the few remaining tribal regions of Maharashtra and is famous for its vibrant Warli painting that are a characteristic landmark of this place. Established in 1918, Jawhar is one of the oldest municipal councils in the state of Maharash The Jawhar state was founded by Raja Jayaba Mukne in 1343, with Jawhar as its capital. The state went through many transitions and lasted for six hundred years until its accession into the Union of India in 1947. During the British Raj, as a state, it was a part of Bombay Presidency and had a 9-gun salute status. Although a capital city, Jawhars development was largely neglected by successive rulers, due to a low revenue generation, however, Jawhar witnessed a significant development in the reign of Raja Patangshah IV and subsequent rulers. Raja Patang Shah V Mukne was the last ruler of Jawhar before its integration in the Union of Indian in 1947. Jawhar is a station located at 19. 92°N73. 23°E﻿ /19.92,73.23. It has an elevation of 447 metres. Owing to its location and cool climate it is also known as the Mahabaleshwar of Palghar district. It is about 80 km from Nasik and about 145 km from Mumbai by road, the Jai Vilas Palace is the most popular historic tourist attraction in Jawhar. This neoclassical style palace was built by Raja Yashwant Rao Mukane and this palace is also known as Raj Bari and used to be a residential palace of the Munke royal family. Built on a top, this palace is a master piece of architecture with blend of Western. The interiors of this display the rich culture and lifestyle of tribal kings of Munke family. The palace is surrounded by a garden with a dense forest like foliage. The place is built in the Syenite stone, brought from an quarry at Sakhara, which is 12 km from its location. It is said that when the work of the palace was completed, the quarry from, which the stones were extracted was broken down and covered, the Geological Department, of Government of India has now taken up a task to locate the lost quarry

38.
Borivali
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Borivali or Borivli is a suburban area located in the north-west section of Mumbai island of Maharashtra, India. Borivali is approximately 18 kilometres from Mumbai Airport, the estimated population of Borivali in 2010 was 513,077. It is believed that the name Borivali comes from existence of a lot of bushes of a fruit called Borr meaning Berries in English. Hence, named the town of berries literally bori-vali, Poinsur, Christian church are the true examples of the mix of ethnicity and vibrant cultural mix of the population living here since ages. The pre-historic era s Mandpeshwar and Kanheri caves stand a testament to the history of this place. Borivali was spelt Berewlee by the then ruled India under the British Raj Era and it is also spelled and pronounced as Borivli. C colony and LIC colony stretch respectively, thus making it a nature lovers paradise. Borivali was once inhabited by ethnic groups who had huge parcels of lands. Almost all the land here was rich and fertile, suitable for agriculture and cultivation of fruits, especially mangoes, sapota, coconut trees are abundant here. No wonder so much of Borivali is still green and has hordes of mango trees. Gorai beaches is one of the gems of Mumbai city, less populated. The town of Borivali boasts a shopping mall, one of the earliest in Mumbai, called Indraprastha, another attraction in Borivali is the Golden Pagoda, which is a meditation hub located in the Gorai Village area. Borivali lies at the tip of Western Mumbai. Its one of the suburbs of Mumbai. Social amenities include hospitals, schools, colleges, cafes, restaurants, parks, Borivali is famed as the Suburb of gardens — It is a lovely green suburb with gardens at almost every block. Borivali is the only Suburb in Mumbai which has a forest on the east & mangrove forests in Gorai and it also has two rivers which pass through it, the Dahisar river and Poinsur river. The Sanjay Gandhi National Park lies in the half of Borivali near the Western Express Highway. It has a few leopards and a 4th-century BCE archaeological site called Kanheri Caves and it has three huge statues of Jain tirthankar Lord Adinath and his two sons Bharat and Bahubali. Borivali is home to the Mandapeshwar Caves which are in its west, There was a tunnel to Vasai Fort passing through Borivali, it is said to be touching these caves

39.
Surat district
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Surat is a district in the state of Gujarat India with Surat city as the administrative headquarters of this district. It is surrounded by Bharuch, Narmada, Navsari districts and east Tapi district To the west is the Gulf of Cambay and it is the second-most advanced district in Gujarat. It had a population of 6,079,231 of which 79. 68% were urban as of 2011, on 2 October 2007 Surat district was split into two by the creation of a new Tapi district, under the Surat District Re-organisation Act 2007. As of 2011 it is the second most populous district of Gujarat, Surat Districts total area is 4,418 km2, and the density of Surat District was 1,376 per km2 at the 2011 Census. The region has the highest population density in the State, followed by Ahmedabad region, according to the 2011 census Surat district has a population of 6,079,231, roughly equal to the nation of El Salvador or the US state of Missouri. This gives it a ranking of 12th in India, the district has a population density of 1,376 inhabitants per square kilometre. Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 42. 19%, Surat has a sex ratio of 788 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 86. 5%. The Vansada National Park in Surat is famous for the boars, leopards, tigers. Narmadashankar Dave Author, poet, scholar and public speaker, shaikh Randeri was famous for spreading the Islamic faith to Indonesia. List of tourist attractions in Surat Official site best places in Surat

40.
Nashik district
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Nashik district, also known as Nasik district, is a district in Maharashtra, India. The city of Nashik is the headquarters of the district. Nashik district is the third largest district in Maharashtra in terms of area occupying an area of 15,582 square kilometres in the region, the Western Ghats or Sahyadri range stretches from north to south across the western portion of the district. With the exception of the westernmost few villages, the portion is hilly, and intersected by ravines. The western slope of the Ghats is drained by rivers, including the Daman Ganga River. The larger eastern portion of the district, which lies on the Deccan Plateau, is open, fertile, the Satmala-Chandwad Range, which runs east and west, forms the chief divide of the plateau region. Peninsular Indias largest river Godavari originates in the district in the Trimbakeshwar Range, the Satmala-Chandwad Range forms a watershed, such that, the rivers emerging to its south drain into the Godavari. These include the Kadva and Darna both of which are tributaries of the Godavari, to the north of the Satmala-Chandwad Range, the Girna River and its tributary, the Mosam, flow eastward through fertile valleys into the Tapti River. In the 18th century, the present-day Nashik district was part of the Maratha Confederacy, the district contains several old hill forts, the scenes of many engagements during the Anglo-Maratha Wars. The district became British territory in 1818 on the overthrow of the Peshwa, the present-day district was initially divided between Kandesh and Ahmadnagar districts of Bombay Presidency, a province of British India. Nashik district was created in 1869, the population in 1901 was 816,504, showing a decrease of 3% in the decade 1891-1901. The principal crops were millet, wheat, pulse, oil-seeds, cotton, there were also some vineyards, and much garden cultivation. Yeola was an important centre for weaving silk and cotton goods, there were flour-mills at Malegaon, railway workshops at Manmad and Igatpuri, and cantonments at Deolali and Malegaon. At Sharanpur was a Christian village, with an orphanage of the Church Missionary Society, from Indias independence in 1947 up to 1960, Nashik district was part of Bombay State, which split into the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. The entire Nashik district is underlain by the lava flows. These flows are normally horizontally disposed over a stretch and give rise to table land type of topography also known a plateau. Nashik District is a noted for the mountains and hills occupying the north, broadly categorized, the hills can be segregated into 3 noteworthy ranges, Selbari Range which may be inclusive of the Dholbari range, alternately called Selbari-Dholbari range. Satmala Range also called the Satmala-Ajanta range, Trimbakeshwar Range constituting the Trimbak-Anjaneri hills

41.
Ahmadnagar district
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Ahmednagar district is the largest district of Maharashtra state in western India. The historical Ahmednagar city is the headquarters of the district, Ahmednagar was the seat of the Ahmednagar Sultanate of late medieval period. This district is known for the towns of Shirdi associated with Sai Baba, Ahmednagar district is part of Nashik Division. The neighbouring districts to Ahmednagar district are Solapur, Osmanabad, Beed, Aurangabad, Nashik, Thane, Ahmednagar District was created after the defeat of the Maratha Confederacy in the Third Anglo-Maratha War in 1818, when most of the Peshwas domains were annexed to British India. The district remained part of the Central division of Bombay Presidency until Indias independence in 1947, when it became part of Bombay State, in 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Ahmednagar one of the countrys 250 most backward districts. It is one of the districts in Maharashtra currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme. Ahmednagar is Maharashtra’s most advanced district in many ways and it has the maximum number of sugar factories, perhaps to spread the message of “Rural Prosperity through Cooperation” it gave the country half a century ago. The first cooperative sugar factory in Asia was established at Pravanagar, a role model of water conservation work can be seen at Ralegaon-Siddhi, which is also called the Ideal Village. Newase where Dnyaneshwari was written, Shri Saibaba’s Shirdi, one of Ashtavinayaks at Siddhatek, the Palace of Chandbibi, the Bhandardara dam, the Maldhok sanctuary and the Rehkuri sanctuary are some of the places of tourist attraction. Ahmednagar district consists of fourteen talukas and these talukas are Ahmednagar district has twelve Vidhan Sabha constituencies, six in each of the two parliamentary constituencies. Sangamner is much developed city than Shrirampur, ralegaon Siddhi is a village in the district that is considered a model of environmental conservation. In the 2001 India census, Ahmednagar district had a population of 4,040,642, at that time the district was 19. 89% urban. Males represented 51. 55% of the population, and females 48. 45%, according to census, Hindus were 84%, Muslims 7%, Christians 4% and others were 4%. In the 2011 census Ahmednagar district recorded a population of 4,543,083 and this gave it a ranking of 33rd among the districts of India. The district had a density of 266 inhabitants per square kilometre. Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 12. 43%, ahmadnagar had a sex ratio of 934 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 80. 22%. Islam arrived in Ahmednagar during the Tughlaq dynasty, there are many Muslim monuments like Chand Bibi Mahal, Faria Baug, Ground Fort and many dargas, and they are found in main town and cities. Christianity arrived in the 18th century when the British took over the area from the Maratha empire onwards, christianity has been Ahmednagars third-largest religion, found all over the district except in the south-west

42.
Mumbai Suburban district
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Mumbai Suburban District is a district of Maharashtra in Konkan Division. It consists of three subdivisions, Kurla, Andheri, and Borivali. The district along with Mumbai City district and other suburban communities make up the metropolis of Mumbai on Salsette Island, the district occupies an area of 446 km². This is the second smallest district of Maharashtra, and it comes under Konkan Division. The jurisdiction of Mumbai Suburban District is from Bandra to Dahisar, from Kurla to Mulund, Mumbai Suburban District is one of the largest districts in the country by population. The current population is 9,332,481, according to the 2011 census, the Mithi River is the main river in the district. Mumbai Suburban district was created on 1 October 1990 when Greater Mumbai bifurcated into Mumbai City, according to the 2011 census, Mumbai Suburban district has a population of 9,332,481, roughly equal to the nation of Benin or the US state of North Carolina. This gives it a ranking of 5th in India, the district has a population density of 25,291.28 inhabitants per square kilometre. Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 8. 01%, Mumbai Suburban has a sex ratio of 857 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 90. 9%. Western Suburbs Eastern Suburbs South Mumbai Mumbai Official website of Mumbai suburban district Maharashtra government

43.
Pune district
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Pune is situated in Maharashtra state of India. Pune city is the district headquarters, in the most recent census on 2011, the total population of the district was 9,426,959, making it the fourth most populous district in India. Urban population comprises 58. 08% of the total population, the current population of Pune urban agglomerate is over 5 million. The territory was formed into a district or sarkar, with sub-divisions called paragana. From such records as are available it appears that the collection was mostly farmed amongst the important chieftains who were henchmen of the Nizamshahi. Ahmednagar king had to bear the brunt of a attack from the Mughal armies which converged on the capital in 1595. Amongst the chieftains so favoured was Maloji Bhosale, who was made a Rana in 1595, Maloji Bhosale was also given charge of the forts of Shivneri and Chakan, which have played a very important part in the early political history of the Pune territory. Even before his coming into the title of Raja, Maloji had several watans as patil for a number of villages, Maloji had married Dipabai, sister of Jagpalrao Naik Nimbalkar, the deshmukh of Phaltan. In the year 1600, Ahmednagar was captured by the Mughals, thus, at the commencement of the seventeenth century, the suzerainty over the possessions of the Ahmednagar kingdom, including the Pune territory, passed to the Mughals. Malik Ambar, the minister of Nizam Shah, raised Murtaza II to the Nizamshahi throne with its temporary headquarters at Junnar. By the time Malik Ambar died in 1626, the system of the Pune area had been put on a sound. He, therefore, in 1629 broke with Nizam Shah and retired to Pune. But with a view perhaps to securing his own jagirs which would be endangered, he offered his allegiance to the Mughals, who besides confirming his jagirs conferred on him the command of 5,000 horses. In fact, in 1632 Shahaji forsook the Mughals and accepted the friendship of the Adilshahi rulers of Bijapur, after this success of the Mughals, the Ahmednagar kingdom ceased to exist, its territory being divided between the Adil Shah of Bijapur and the Mughals. In this scheme of division Pune fell to Bijapur, Shahaji for some time refused to surrender Junnar, which was the very seat of the foundation of the Nizamshahi dynasty. But this he had ultimately to surrender, Shahaji, however, seems to have enjoyed sufficient importance with the hostile powers to be called upon even in defeat to play an important part in the administration of the new regime. It was in this connection that when Shahaji went on his Karnatak expeditions that he left had passed under the control of Bijapur, the Fasli year was also officially introduced at this time. In so far as Shivaji had any official residence in Pune this was the place which he inhabited, Dadaji died in 1647, and Shivaji almost naturally took charge of all the responsibility that devolved on him as deputy of his father

Thane
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Thane is a metropolitan city in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Thane City is part of Thane District and is the neighbour of the city of Mumbai. Thane City lies in the co-ordinates 19. 2183° N,72. 9781° E, the name Thane, locally pronounced, has been variously romanised as Tana, Thana, Thâṇâ, and Thane. Ibn Battuta and Abulfeda knew it as Kukin Ta

1.
View of Masunda Lake (Talav Pali) from St.John The Baptist High School.

District
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A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by local government. Across the world, areas known as districts vary greatly in size, spanning entire regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions of municipalities, school district, in Afghanistan, a district is a subdivision of a province. There are a

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Satellite photograph of the District of Columbia.

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Districts of India

Maharashtra
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Maharashtra is a state in the western region of India and is Indias second-most populous state and third-largest state by area. It is the wealthiest Indian state and it is also the worlds second-most populous sub-national entity. It has over 112 million inhabitants and its capital, Mumbai, has a population of approximately 18 million, Nagpur is Mah

1.
Trimurti sculpture of Lord Dattatreya from Elephanta Caves, an UNESCO World Heritage Site in Maharashtra

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Ajanta Caves in Aurangabad, Maharashtra

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Late Harappa figure from Daimabad hoard, Indus Valley Civilization

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Bronze statue of Shivaji Maharaj in the collection of the Shri Bhavani Museum of Aundh, Maharashtra.

Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a

1.
Longitude lines are perpendicular and latitude lines are parallel to the equator.

India
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India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and it is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast. It shares land borders with Pakistan to the west, China, Nepal, and Bhutan to

1.
Flag

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The granite tower of Brihadeeswarar Temple in Thanjavur was completed in 1010 CE by Raja Raja Chola I.

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Writing the will and testament of the Mughal king court in Persian, 1590–1595

States and territories of India
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India is a federal union comprising twenty-nine states and seven union territories. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and further into smaller administrative divisions, the Constitution of India distributes the sovereign executive and legislative powers exercisable with respect to the territory of any State betw

1.
Hyderabad state in 1909

Demonym
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A demonym is a word that identifies residents or natives of a particular place, which is derived from the name of that particular place. It is a neologism, previously gentilic was recorded in English dictionaries, e. g. the Oxford English Dictionary, thus a Thai may be any resident or citizen of Thailand, of any ethnic group, or more narrowly a mem

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Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary has not adopted the term "demonyn" for these adjectives and nouns

Marathi language
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Marathi is an Indian language spoken predominantly by the Marathi people of Maharashtra. It is the language and co-official language in the Maharashtra and Goa states of Western India, respectively. There were 73 million speakers in 2001, Marathi ranks 19th in the list of most spoken languages in the world, Marathi has the fourth largest number of

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The popular Marathi language newspapers at a newsstand in Mumbai, 2006

Indian Standard Time
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Indian Standard Time is the time observed throughout India and Sri Lanka, with a time offset of UTC+05,30. India does not observe daylight saving time or other seasonal adjustments, in military and aviation time IST is designated E*. Indian Standard Time is calculated on the basis of 82.30 E longitude, in Shankargarh Fort, in the tz database, it is

1.
IST in relation with the bordering nations

Vehicle registration plate
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A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate or a license plate, is metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identification purposes. The registration identifier is a numeric or alphanumeric ID that uniquely identifies the owner within the issuing regions database. The first two letters indicate the s

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Some jurisdictions license non-traditional vehicles, such as golf carts, particularly on on-road vehicles, such as this one in Put-in-Bay, Ohio.

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Burkina passenger plate

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Burkina Faso Gendarmerie plate

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Botswana plate

Districts of Maharashtra
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The Indian State of Maharashtra came into existence on 1 May 1960. It is also known as Maharashtra Day, initially with 26 districts,10 new districts have been created since then, and currently the number of districts in the state is 36. These districts are grouped into six administrative divisions shown below, Maharashtra is divided into 36 distric

1.
Location of Maharashtra in India

States and union territories of India
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India is a federal union comprising twenty-nine states and seven union territories. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and further into smaller administrative divisions, the Constitution of India distributes the sovereign executive and legislative powers exercisable with respect to the territory of any State betw

1.
Hyderabad state in 1909

Konkan Division
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Konkan division is one of the six administrative divisions of Maharashtra state in India. It comprises the Konkan region, which occupies the entire west coast of Maharashtra, the two districts in the state capital Mumbai also fall in Konkan division. Recently, the Mumbai district was bifurcated into the Mumbai & Mumbai Suburban districts, in 1961 t

1.
Location of Konkan division in Maharashtra

Palghar district
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Palghar District is a district in the state of Maharashtra in Konkan Division. At the 2011 Census, the talukas now comprising the district had a population of 2,990,116, Palghar has an urban population of 1,435,210, that is 48% of total population is living in Urbanized Area. The district is bounded by Thane and Nashik Districts on the east and nor

1.
Location in Maharashtra

Navi Mumbai
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Navi Mumbai is a planned township of Mumbai off the west coast of the Indian state of Maharashtra in Konkan division. The city is divided into two parts, North Navi Mumbai and South Navi Mumbai, for the development of Panvel Mega City. The city would have its own international airport by 2019 and it is being developed primarily to ease the burden o

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Navi Mumbai Skyline

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Utsav Chowk at Kharghar

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Shivaji Chowk

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Vashi Bridge across the creek.

Ambarnath
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Ambarnath more often spelt as Ambernath is a city in Indian state of Maharashtra which is also a part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Ambernath comes under the Thane district of Maharashtra, Ambarnath is part of Mumbai Metropolitan Region. The name Ambarnath literally means Sky-Lord, Ambarnath is the site of an old temple dedicated to Lord Shiva

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Shiv Mandir, Ambarnath.

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Mata Mandir at Ambarnath

Badlapur
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Badlapur is a city in Thane district, it is a part of Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Due to the growth in the nearby cities, people working in Mumbai have moved to Badlapur for a number of social economic reasons. Badlapur city encompasses the old Badlapur village, Kulgaon, Manjarli, Belavali, Katrap, Badlapur was named because, via Surat, it was a tr

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Kondeshwar

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Chanderi

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Chanderi - A view from Taverwadi (Panvel side)

Nashik District
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Nashik district, also known as Nasik district, is a district in Maharashtra, India. The city of Nashik is the headquarters of the district. Nashik district is the third largest district in Maharashtra in terms of area occupying an area of 15,582 square kilometres in the region, the Western Ghats or Sahyadri range stretches from north to south acros

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Nasik district 1896

2.
Location of Nashik district in Maharashtra

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Red-orange fluorite balls on drusy quartz, Mahodari, Nasik District. These are considered to be the finest red fluorite balls in the world.

Pune District
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Pune is situated in Maharashtra state of India. Pune city is the district headquarters, in the most recent census on 2011, the total population of the district was 9,426,959, making it the fourth most populous district in India. Urban population comprises 58. 08% of the total population, the current population of Pune urban agglomerate is over 5 mi

1.
History

2.
Location of Pune district in Maharashtra

Ahmadnagar District
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Ahmednagar district is the largest district of Maharashtra state in western India. The historical Ahmednagar city is the headquarters of the district, Ahmednagar was the seat of the Ahmednagar Sultanate of late medieval period. This district is known for the towns of Shirdi associated with Sai Baba, Ahmednagar district is part of Nashik Division. T

2.
Location of Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra

Arabian Sea
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The Arabian Sea is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by northeastern Somalia and the Arabian Peninsula, and on the east by India. Historically the sea has been known by names including the Erythraean Sea. Its total area is 3,862,000 km2 and its depth is 4,652 metres. The Gulf of Aden is in

1.
Arabian Sea from space

2.
Arabian Sea

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17th century map depicting the locations of the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea

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The Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Mumbai, India is the largest port of India and one of the busiest in the Arabian Sea

Mumbai City District
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Mumbai City District is a district of Maharashtra in Konkan Division. As a city district, it has no headquarters or subdivisions and it, along with the Mumbai Suburban District, makes up the metropolis of Mumbai. The city area is called the city or South Mumbai or Old Mumbai. It extends from Colaba in the south to Mahim and Sion in the north, the c

1.
Location of Mumbai district

Mumbai Suburban District
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Mumbai Suburban District is a district of Maharashtra in Konkan Division. It consists of three subdivisions, Kurla, Andheri, and Borivali. The district along with Mumbai City district and other suburban communities make up the metropolis of Mumbai on Salsette Island, the district occupies an area of 446 km². This is the second smallest district of

1.
Location of Mumbai Suburban district in Maharashtra

Raigad District
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Raigad District is a district in the state of Maharashtra, India. In 2011 the district had a population of 2,635,394, in 2011 urban dwellers had increased to 36. 91% from 24. 22% in 2001. The district is bounded by Mumbai Harbour to the northwest, Thane District to the north, Pune District to the east, Ratnagiri district to the south, and the Arabi

1.
Location of Raigad district district in Maharashtra

Roha
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Roha is a small city and taluka in the Raigad district of the Maharashtra state of India. It is located 120 km southeast of Mumbai and it is the starting point of kokan railways and end point of central railways. Many chemical industries have opened up their bases here. Roha is located between the banks of the Kundalika River and the hills of Kalas

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Roha रोहा

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Roha in the 1970s

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Roha railway station

Mahad
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Mahad pronunciation is a city and a municipal council in Raigad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. In the 2001 census the city had a population of 24,276 and it is situated about 150 km to the south of Mumbai. It has become a tourist destination because of its beautiful surroundings, Mahad has a personality of its own due to its mythologi

1.
Savitri River near Mahad

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Gandharpale Budhist Caves

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Varandha ghad

Kulaba District
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Raigad District is a district in the state of Maharashtra, India. In 2011 the district had a population of 2,635,394, in 2011 urban dwellers had increased to 36. 91% from 24. 22% in 2001. The district is bounded by Mumbai Harbour to the northwest, Thane District to the north, Pune District to the east, Ratnagiri district to the south, and the Arabi

1.
Location of Raigad district district in Maharashtra

Kolaba district
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Raigad District is a district in the state of Maharashtra, India. In 2011 the district had a population of 2,635,394, in 2011 urban dwellers had increased to 36. 91% from 24. 22% in 2001. The district is bounded by Mumbai Harbour to the northwest, Thane District to the north, Pune District to the east, Ratnagiri district to the south, and the Arabi

1.
Location of Raigad district district in Maharashtra

Raigad district
–
Raigad District is a district in the state of Maharashtra, India. In 2011 the district had a population of 2,635,394, in 2011 urban dwellers had increased to 36. 91% from 24. 22% in 2001. The district is bounded by Mumbai Harbour to the northwest, Thane District to the north, Pune District to the east, Ratnagiri district to the south, and the Arabi

1.
Location of Raigad district district in Maharashtra

Dahanu
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Dahanu is a coastal town and a municipal council in Palghar district of Maharashtra state in Konkan division. It is located 110 km from Mumbai city Dahanu is located 65 km north of Virar on the Western Railway line of Mumbai Suburban Railway and it can be reached from National Highway NH-8,24 km off from Charoti Naka. It is 22 km North of Boisar on

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Beautiful Sunset at Parnaka Beach

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Bal Gangadhar Tilak Chowk, Dahanu

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The huge Banyan tree at Parnaka, Dahanu

Karjat
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Karjat is a city, a Municipal Council, a Tahsil and a sub-district in Raigad district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Karjat is also a part of a Mumbai Metropolitan City and it is a rapidly developing city of a Raigad district which is well connected to the Panvel, Mumbai, Thane and Pune. There are Engineering, Medical, Pharmacy, Agriculture, a

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Karjat, Maharashtra

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A signage at Karjat railway station.

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ND Studios in Karjat

Salsette
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Not to be confused with Salcete, Goa. Salsette Island is an island in Maharashtra state on Indias west coast, the metropolis of Mumbai and the cities of Thane and Mira-Bhayandar lie on it, making it very populous and one of the most densely populated islands in the world. It has about 15.1 million inhabitants living on an area of about 619 km². Sal

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1893 map showing the island.

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The metropolis of Mumbai (formerly Bombay) and the city of Thane lie on Salsette Island.

Panvel
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Panvel is a village in Raigad district of Maharashtra, in Konkan Division. The city is highly populated due to its closeness to Mumbai, Panvel is located in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Panvel is the first Municipal Corporation in Raigad and the 27th Municipal corporation of Maharashtra State, Panvel is situated on the banks of Panvel Creek. It

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Gadeshwar Reservoir

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Panvel

Karanja Lad
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Karanja or Karanja Lad is a city and a municipal council in Washim district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Karanja is also known as Karanja Lad and mainly referred to as such, the town is named after Saint Karanj. Karanja is a place for Hindus and Jains. It is the birthplace of Shri Nrusimha Saraswati Swami Maharaj, believed to be the incarnat

Mumbai (Suburban)
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Mumbai Suburban District is a district of Maharashtra in Konkan Division. It consists of three subdivisions, Kurla, Andheri, and Borivali. The district along with Mumbai City district and other suburban communities make up the metropolis of Mumbai on Salsette Island, the district occupies an area of 446 km². This is the second smallest district of

1.
Location of Mumbai Suburban district in Maharashtra

Aarey Milk Colony
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The Aarey Milk Colony is a neighbourhood situated in Goregaon East, a suburb of the city of Mumbai, India. It was established in 1949 and officially inaugurated by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1951, Aarey Milk Colony includes 12 villages – Sai, Gundgav, Film City, Royal Palms, Dindoshi, Aarey, Pahadi Goregaon, Vyraval, Kondivita, Mar

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Aarey Colony

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Aarey Milk Colony

Jawhar
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Jawhar is a city and a municipal council in Palghar district of Maharashtra state in Konkan division. Jawhar was a city of the erstwhile princely state of Jawhar. Situated in the ranges of the Western Ghats, Jawhar is known for its picturesque setting and it is one of the few remaining tribal regions of Maharashtra and is famous for its vibrant War

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Map of the region/Jawhar Talukas map

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Kalmandvi Waterfall

Borivali
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Borivali or Borivli is a suburban area located in the north-west section of Mumbai island of Maharashtra, India. Borivali is approximately 18 kilometres from Mumbai Airport, the estimated population of Borivali in 2010 was 513,077. It is believed that the name Borivali comes from existence of a lot of bushes of a fruit called Borr meaning Berries i

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View of Borivali skyline from Sanjay Gandhi National Park

Surat district
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Surat is a district in the state of Gujarat India with Surat city as the administrative headquarters of this district. It is surrounded by Bharuch, Narmada, Navsari districts and east Tapi district To the west is the Gulf of Cambay and it is the second-most advanced district in Gujarat. It had a population of 6,079,231 of which 79. 68% were urban a

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The Baraha-mihir or Khana-mihir mound at Berachampa. It was first excavated in 1956-57 revealing a continuous sequence of cultural remains from 11th century BC pre-Mouryan period to 12th century AD Pala period.

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The 1,319 m (4,327 ft) long Konkan Railway bridge across the Zuari river in Goa.

Nashik district
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Nashik district, also known as Nasik district, is a district in Maharashtra, India. The city of Nashik is the headquarters of the district. Nashik district is the third largest district in Maharashtra in terms of area occupying an area of 15,582 square kilometres in the region, the Western Ghats or Sahyadri range stretches from north to south acros

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Nasik district 1896

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Location of Nashik district in Maharashtra

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Red-orange fluorite balls on drusy quartz, Mahodari, Nasik District. These are considered to be the finest red fluorite balls in the world.

Ahmadnagar district
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Ahmednagar district is the largest district of Maharashtra state in western India. The historical Ahmednagar city is the headquarters of the district, Ahmednagar was the seat of the Ahmednagar Sultanate of late medieval period. This district is known for the towns of Shirdi associated with Sai Baba, Ahmednagar district is part of Nashik Division. T

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Location of Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra

Mumbai Suburban district
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Mumbai Suburban District is a district of Maharashtra in Konkan Division. It consists of three subdivisions, Kurla, Andheri, and Borivali. The district along with Mumbai City district and other suburban communities make up the metropolis of Mumbai on Salsette Island, the district occupies an area of 446 km². This is the second smallest district of

1.
Location of Mumbai Suburban district in Maharashtra

Pune district
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Pune is situated in Maharashtra state of India. Pune city is the district headquarters, in the most recent census on 2011, the total population of the district was 9,426,959, making it the fourth most populous district in India. Urban population comprises 58. 08% of the total population, the current population of Pune urban agglomerate is over 5 mi